Slayers: To the End
by istanzia
Summary: The Slayers are back after two years of silence (after TRY) There's a new enemy abroad, and they are out to destroy L-Sama's careful balance...enter Lina Inverse X/L bias. Another chapter up! Sorry it took so long!
1. Yet another prophecy to be unraveled!!!

Slayers: To the End...  
  
by Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
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one note before beginning...  
  
This takes place after Slayers, Next and Try... Guess what.... new enemy coming up!!! And it's  
  
an A/U...  
  
disclaimer...  
  
I do not own Slayers, I am not making monetary profit or gain from them. The only thing I can  
  
even half way claim to be mine are the Tarzokus... (wow!!) Slayers belongs to some really great  
  
people with a great imagination... But you all knew that already, right?  
  
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Mini Prologue...  
  
(many, many, many, many, many eons ago...)  
  
The room is dark, very dark. But although it's so amazingly dark, you can distinguish two figures. They seemed to be floating in empty space, for the room does not have room qualities, that is, it doesn't have walls, no floor, and no ceiling. OK, so maybe it isn't a room, but they are there. The two beings had immense power radiating from their corporal bodies. They were speaking to each other in very serious tones. Slowly, the room lightened up, but only slightly. Enough to see small details. Like the fact that they were sitting down and talking to each other while reading some papers.  
  
"You know, this could get very ugly." This one was the male voice.  
  
"No really, I hadn't noticed." answered the other sarcastically.  
  
"What do you plan to do?"  
  
"Obviously, the prophecies should never get to her."  
  
"Her? You are so sure the Chosen One will be a girl?"  
  
"Her, Him, I could care less. They could be an It, for all I care."  
  
"But you do care, a lot."  
  
"Of course, you idiot. Who wouldn't?"  
  
"So what are you planning to do?"  
  
"First of all, I have to hide you, again."  
  
"It's not my fault you have weak minions."  
  
"But I have a new plan. One of my newest recruits, one named Xellos."  
  
"What's so special about him?"  
  
"He is one of my favorites. Very loyal, and great potential."  
  
"How can you guarantee that it will work. The last one died."  
  
"But this time, you will share your power with him. That way, he won't explode."  
  
"Perhaps. It could work. Have you tried it before?"  
  
"Does it look like I would try something like that?"  
  
"Point taken. I will go into him. But that doesn't solve our problem with It."  
  
"It seems like It will be able to defeat part of our master. It will be a hard opponent."  
  
"But I have an idea..."  
  
"Really? That's new, an idea coming from you."  
  
"I appreciate your sarcasm, dear sister of mine."  
  
"So what's your idea?"  
  
"The Chosen One will read the prophecies. It says so here that It will be  
  
unwilling, but that It will do what they have to do."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, we change the prophecies."  
  
"As if Fate will listen to us."  
  
"Not that way. We will hide all the real ones and write some special ones for her  
  
and her friends."  
  
"Very interesting, do go on..."  
  
"We can end up controlling It. We could use her as our pawn."  
  
"But where will we get the prophecies from?"  
  
"Ah... the one here talks about It defeating part of our master. Yet our master has  
  
not been split... yet."  
  
"So that means we have time to write our own?"  
  
"Yes... and by the time the Chosen One gets them, they will indeed be old..."  
  
"Wonderful plan."  
  
"Let's do it."  
  
With that, the two beings phased out of the room, leaving behind their coffee table.  
  
A few years later, Zelas looked into her crystal ball. She watched her minion, Xellos. Well, not really her minion, her Priest. I mean, her General/Priest. Her General had died in the battle. He had been brave, but stupid. But she was worried about Xellos. His power was amazing, his fusion with her brother, Xerxes, had been complete. Yet she wondered, how much of her brother would affect Xellos? Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite knock.  
  
"Come in," she said. A Mazoku with teal eyes came in.  
  
"Zelas-sama," she said as she knelt.  
  
"Yes, Madabar?" asked Zelas. Madabar was a new "recruit", who like Xellos, also  
  
had much potential.  
  
"Your plans are ready."  
  
"Perfect!" said Zelas, a smile on her face. Today, the dragons would die.  
  
Chapter 1 (Version 1.2)  
  
Yet another prophecy to be unraveled!!!  
  
Entry #1  
  
Hi! I feel dumb now, writing hi to a journal. Well, anyway, I decided to start a journal. A week ago, our group finally disbanded. After a few years of sticking together like glue, we finally split. They took it rather well... I think we all knew it was coming, just that we... sort of didn't want it to come. Oh well, it was time for us. We spent the last night at the inn, calling back memories of what we had done. Looking back, I can't believe how silly we were. Aaah, good times! It was a farewell type of party. We promised to write to each other... I'm writing the addresses at the back of the journal. Anyway, you wonder what will happen to the rest? Well, let's start with Gourry. He's going with Amelia. No, not as a couple. Gourry will become the trainer and part of the royal guard in the city of Seyruun to Amelia's family. I can't think of a better job for him. Amelia, is going back to Seyruun. She says it's about time she took the crown more seriously anyway. Presently, she's a foreign emissary to other lands beyond the shield to establish trade or some such between their cities. Gourry's her personal guard, since they've been together through so many things. Well, Zel is... why don't you take a guess... he's still searching for a cure. I personally don't see why. His chimera form is extremely useful. I'm afraid that once Zel becomes human, he won't be able to protect himself as well, since his body won't be made of stone anymore. But he doesn't exactly want to hear that. According to what little I know about chimeras, I don't think Zel will be that strong with magic. So, basically, now, I'm traveling to Seerin. It's a small town close to the actual shield. It's a place where people like yours truly can go to rest and get some work. Work?, you wonder... yes, truth be told, I'm not just some uncultured tomboy. I happen to be a good artist, and researcher as well as sorceress. Many researchers and wizards live in Seerin... You wonder about Xellos? Well, Xellos is a Mazoku. We didn't have to worry about him, since I'm sure Zelas is more than happy giving them orders. Well, he disappeared some days earlier, like always, and I haven't heard of him yet. For all I know, he might not know we've disbanded. I'm silently glad that it's over, not that I would ever tell them given the chance... There is no need to fear anymore... I hope. Well, it's getting late. I've set up traps everywhere around camp. You can't be too careful, night!!!  
  
With that, sorceress extraordinaire, Lina Inverse, closed her journal and went to sleep with a sad smile on her face.  
  
Seven months later...  
  
"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Sorceress Lina Inverse passes away due to mysterious ailment!! Princess Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun returns today from trip to Juna!!!!! Prince Phil speaks to the people on banditry!!! Extra! Extra! Read all about it here!!" People looked up with surprised faces as they heard the news. Lina Inverse, dead????? Impossible!... or was it?  
  
Two years later...  
  
Madabar looked at the lady across from her. The lady was her boss, at least, a manifestation of her boss. She was also speaking.  
  
"Madabar, you know what to do." said the lady with golden hair. Teal eyes on a pale face nodded. The one with golden hair continued. "Make it realistic, but don't hurt Xellos. He is still my special... "pet". You only have on objective, kill the Chosen One. You know who she is." Madabar nodded once more.  
  
"Your plans are perfect, Zelas-sama." she said. "Count on me, I will not let all the work we have done to become a failure."  
  
"Good," said Zelas. "Make sure you do. And remember, kill her. I've already taken care of preliminary details. Xellos will convince her to play into your hands." Zelas phased out and Madabar was left alone. Like all Mazoku, she could change her appearance. Right now, her and her group of specially trained Mazoku were ready for battle. *And after killing the Chosen One, we will kill you, Zelas-sama.* she thought sarcastically. Unknown to her, Zelas was thinking along the same lines. Zelas thought. And then, her brother was going down. So simple it was beautiful.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos smiled to himself as he carefully fingered the scrolls that were found in the cave. They were a beautiful set indeed. It was amazing how well preserved they were. He put them into his rucksack of holding, with a protective spell around it so that the fragile scrolls wouldn't break. He stood up and smiled again. His work was done. Now, to take them to Beastmaster... He looked up suddenly. For a minute, he thought he had felt the presence of... Xellos shook his head... but the feeling of unease still plagued him. He suddenly felt the need to hurry, and he did exactly that.  
  
As he traversed the gates of time and space, he mused about what had been happening in the last few years. He had started out as a vigil for Beastmaster and had kept an eye on Lina. After their three million and one adventures though, the group had disbanded. Surprising, wasn't it. Even to him. Not that he had much time to brood over it. Lord Beastmaster had immediately put him to work searching the whole of the planet looking for scrolls. These were the last ones on his list... He really wondered what they were about, but Beastmaster had forbidden him to open them. His musings where cut short as he appeared in Wolf Pack Island, and to his surprise, found most of the wood burned black. Xellos stood stunned for a few seconds before his gears got moving. Around him lay destruction, and for once, he wasn't the cause of it. Heat permeated from the burnt trees. He suddenly felt a sudden movement from his right. An arrow whizzed from out of nowhere, it seemed, and had Xellos not moved, would have hit him in the chest.  
  
"Who's there?!" shouted Xellos. He gasped, and his normally happy face turned severe as he saw someone jump out of a tree that had not been burnt too badly. The creature had short black hair that fell over a pair of pale pink eyes. A pair of fluffy white ears peeked from the sides of their head. And from the back sprouted a long sleek cat like tail covered with white fur. On her shoulder was slung a quiver of arrows and she was holding a bow in her hands. Their power signature was slightly familiar, but hard to place.  
  
"Hello, General and Priest of the late Lord Beastmaster!" said the creature with a happy grin on her face.  
  
"Late?" asked Xellos, caught off guard.  
  
"Oh, had you not heard the news?" she asked with a cute grin. "Why just recently, I think, we killed her!" She giggled madly. Xellos just stared at her with a look of shock on his face before he got moving. He fired a quick ball of lightning in her direction, which she casually dodged with cat like grace. As quick as a wink, she back flipped right next to him and whispered sultrily into his ear.  
  
"I'm to... 'entertain' you while the rest tie up the loose ends..." Xellos pushed her away. She once again flipped in the air and held out her hands, her bow slung over her shoulder.  
  
"Brahm Flare!!!" she shouted as a rod of black light was hurled at Xellos. Xellos rolled out of the way. The rod ran into the tree behind him, turning it into ashes. Xellos was about to attack her when he felt a quick message. 'Xellos, hurry! They're still looking for me. Find me you know where...' Xellos smiled cheerfully again as he pointed his staff, the red orb glowing darkly.  
  
"Sayonara, dear. I think we'll finish this fight later." With that, a small sphere of golden energy shot out from his hand and flew up and above the girl, to knock of a branch that promptly fell on her.  
  
"Hey!" she shouted, before she realized that she was talking to empty air. "Darn it!!!!" she shouted. With that, she phased out of there.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Xellos ported to a city close to the island. The city was called Jinnia. It was a small city, hardly known in the world. The only thing that was moderately good was that it had a relatively low crime rate. But that was because hardly anyone knew about it. He walked casually to a small house that seemed so average nobody paid attention to it. As soon as he went in, he sensed that there was something wrong. He ran to the bedroom where he weakly felt Beastmaster's presence.  
  
"Zelas!" he said as he burst into the room. Zelas was resting against the bed post, her face pale and bruised. Xellos could sense a lot of magic in the room. As if Zelas had just done some major healing on her mundane form.  
  
"Sit, Xellos." She offered him a seat which he took. From his rucksack of keeping, Xellos took out the last scrolls on the list that Zelas had asked him for.  
  
"Here are your scrolls, Lord Beastmaster," he said.  
  
"Keep them Xellos." said Zelas. "Now, listen carefully. I'm too weak right now. The Tarzokus got me by surprise."  
  
"So that's who they are!" said Xellos, pretending to know what Zelas was talking about. After all, he was the Trickster Priest, and he knew everything,... supposedly.  
  
"Be quiet! Now, I'll give you a rough run down. For the past two years, I have been carefully monitoring a fountain of incredible power due to its location near many mines of orihalcon and another metal that I haven't identified yet. The fountain has very... how shall I put it.... very unusual side effects. Because of the magic in the area, plants, animals, or rocks gathered from there contain some dilute form of magic from it. This magic is more commonly known as chaos magic, drawing on the power or L-sama herself, with out as much risk to the user. Repercussions happen rarely when using these artifacts, but when they do happen, the consequences are greater than before. Now, Xellos, you know that L-sama is the Mother of all, and whoever got a hold of such power would ultimately be a threat, such as the Inverse girl. Yet the Lina has been Chosen by L-sama herself, to have a special affinity with her. You have seen that for yourself. She was born with the mark of L-sama on her forehead. And it's time for her to embrace her destiny. Get all the scrolls for me, Xellos, the ones you got for me." Xellos nodded and carefully took all five sets of scrolls from a hidden panel in the wall. Zelas smiled and set a protective spell around them.  
  
"Fate has decided that the time has come. These scrolls, the prophecies in them, were created by Fate herself, to make sure that Lina and only Lina, the Chosen One would receive that magic. Unfortunately, there is a group out there that is power hungry, and would take the power from her. They are called the Tarzokus, the ones who sneaked up on me. Their name is a crude imitation of our race as well as the dragons" said Zelas.  
  
"How did they find you, though?" asked Xellos. "Wouldn't you be strong enough to kill them?"  
  
"You have forgotten one important thing," said Zelas gravely. "They already posses an extensive amount of magic, of chaotic, dark and light."  
  
"But didn't you say that only Lina was supposed to have the magic?" asked Xellos, extremely confused. Something just didn't seem right...  
  
"You still don't get it, my little Priest." said Zelas, trying hard to be patient. "They have not gone into the full potential of chaotic magic. As you know, chaotic magic can hurt us, badly. Slowly, but surely, they are absorbing the power of the fountain, through use of stones and magical plants. There is only a certain amount of chaos magic there, and it is slowly being absorbed by them. Before long, the magic will be absorbed into them, and the Chosen One will not be able to rise and ward of an even greater threat that is to come. The Tarzokus must be stopped, and for that to happen, Lina has to fight for her birthright. Find her, my loyal Priest and General, for the fate of the world and Lina rest in your hands."  
  
"But, didn't Lina die about a two years ago?" asked a confused Xellos. But Zelas had closed her eyes and was leaning against the headboard. With a start, Xellos realized that she looked extremely tired. Well, to turn to his task... How in the world was he going to find someone who supposedly had died about two years ago?  
  
*****  
  
Princess Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun looked up from her papers. Her father was taking care of the affairs of Seyruun. She was in charge of the foreign diplomacy between cities from within and out of the shield. She got to travel a lot with Gourry. It was pretty fun. They were great friends.  
  
She took her quill up. She was writing a letter to the Seyruunian embassy in a city from out of the shield. But she didn't feel like it. 'It's at times like these that I wish I was still adventuring with Ms. Lina...' Thinking that, she put down her quill and went over to the window. It was raining. How dreary. She sighed.  
  
"Hello Amelia!" said a cheery voice. Amelia turned around with a gasp.  
  
"Xellos!" she said with a worried look in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Hello to you too, Amelia!" said Xellos with a tired smile. He had to be careful with how he ported from place to place, since Madabar's people were on the look out for him and Beastmaster. The result, he was tired. "Do you mind if I crash here for the night? I promise I'll behave." added Xellos with a smile.  
  
"Um... sure, Mr. Xellos." said Amelia hesitantly. "But you promise you won't... um.. you know..."  
  
"Of course, Princess." said Xellos. "I'll be a good boy!" Amelia rang for a servant that promptly led Xellos to a guest room.  
  
The next morning, Amelia sent a note to Xellos. He opened the door and took the note with a smile and the frightened servant. Over night, the rumors had grown and spread like an annoying weed. The most outrageous one included Xellos being the princesses secret lover that was know planning to overthrow the royal family. These rumors, were of course, started by him. All the fear the silly servants had generated were a delightful snack to the Mazoku. Xellos went into his room to read the note that Amelia had written. He had a nice room. It was navy blue with silver trimmings. The curtains were blue with silver tassels, the sheets were blue with silver trim, the walls were blue, although they had a silver stripe running across the middle. Nice room. He sat down in a chair on which was slung his rucksack of keeping. The princess was inviting him to breakfast with her and Gourry. Sure. He took his bag and brushed his purple hair so that he looked presentable.  
  
At the table, Xellos greeted the princess and Gourry.  
  
"Good morning princess, Gourry," said Xellos as he sat down at the table with the other two.  
  
"How are you doing, Xellos?" asked Gourry with a smile. "It's been some time since we last saw each other!"  
  
"I hope you had a good night's rest," said Amelia. The servants came out and put a huge pile of plates in front of the three. Gourry immediately started to wolf down all the food in sight, although he did it at a slower speed, since Lina wasn't there. Thinking about her...  
  
"So, Amelia," said Xellos. "How's everything in the kingdom so far?"  
  
"Fine, Xellos," she answered, wondering what the priest was up to. After the breakfast was over, the servants came in to clear away the dishes and served some tea. Gourry left since he had to do some errands around the castle. Xellos picked up his cup and took a small sip.  
  
"I'm here to inquire about Lina." said Xellos. He decided to play dumb for a bit. "How's she doing?" Amelia almost choked on her tea.  
  
"You mean, you don't know?" she asked, amazed.  
  
"Know what?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Lina died... about two years ago." said Amelia with a sad face. "She died of an unknown sickness." At this moment, there were almost tears coming out of her eyes.  
  
"Oh... I'm sorry," said Xellos as he looked into his cup. "Could you tell me about it?" Amelia wiped her eyes and sniffed. Xellos offered her his handkerchief.  
  
"Thanks, Xellos," she said as she struggled with her tears. "It's just that, I'm not quite used to thinking her as... dead." Xellos nodded. "Well, we don't really know much about it. Zelgadis said, in a letter, that she got really sick. He had been near there at the time and he tried to help her, but by the time he got the doctor... it was too late..." Here, Amelia trailed off. "I should have been there. It was only a few months after we disbanded. I might have been able to do something... but I was away, playing a diplomat..."  
  
"Now, now," said Xellos. "Don't cry."  
  
"Thanks Xellos," she said after a while. "If you want to know more, Zelgadis can tell you more, probably. He's supposed to come today or tomorrow."  
  
"Really? How fortunate I am!" said Xellos, for once sincerely. Something didn't sound quite right. "What for?"  
  
"Oh, he's going to use the library to find a lead to his cure." said Amelia. She was more composed now. "He's been doing that for some time now." Xellos nodded. He spent the rest of the day studying the scrolls he had gotten for Zelas. Sure, she had told him not to look, but that was before the Tarzokus had come. Now, he needed every bit of information he could get. Which is why he had supper in the royal libraries of Seyruun. The next day, Zelgadis came. Xellos cornered him in the library and started an extensive question and answer session with him.  
  
"So, how are you doing, Zelgadis?" asked Xellos as he took a sip of his cup of tea. Zelgadis took a draught from the mug of coffee he had.  
  
"Fine," he said. Silence.  
  
"I heard some interesting news from Amelia the other day." said Xellos as he took another sip.  
  
"Really?" said Zel. There was an insinuated "And what does that have to do with me?"  
  
"And the princess thinks I can get some more details from you," said Xellos with a smile.  
  
"About?" asked Zel with a frown.  
  
"Lina's death." said Xellos. Zelgadis looked surprised for a while before he once again put on a stoic face.  
  
"Oh," he said. "What of it?"  
  
"Where did she die?" asked Xellos.  
  
"In a small village close to the border." said Zelgadis.  
  
"Do you remember the name of the town?" asked Xellos.  
  
"What is it to you?" asked Zelgadis.  
  
"What would you say, if I said that Lina's death never happened?" asked Xellos before taking a sip of his tea. Zelgadis looked surprised at that.  
  
"I would say that you're crazy." said Zel simply. "Not that that's anything new."  
  
"Ouch, Zel," said Xellos still smiling. "That hurts. Still, I'm serious about this. Tell me about what happened. For some reason, I'm not convinced."  
  
"And why should I tell you anything?" said Zelgadis, annoyed.  
  
"If I tell you, will you tell me where Lina is?" asked Xellos, his smile had turned into a serious and pensive frown.  
  
"Like Amelia told you, Lina is dead." said Zel. "But do go on."  
  
"What I'm about to tell you cannot be repeated to anyone else, do you understand, Zelgadis?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Of course," said Zelgadis. He took another drink of his coffee.  
  
"Basically, It's time for Lina to arise to her birthright as Chosen One of L-sama but others are trying their hardest to get their hands on it. If they succeed in usurping her power, the world will meet up with a Fate worse than death," said Xellos. "And that's it!"  
  
"And that's it," said Zelgadis with thinly veiled sarcasm.  
  
"Yes," said Xellos with a smile. "Of course, that's the condensed version of it. So, will you please do me the honor of telling me where Lina is. As you can see, we are in dire need of her if we don't want the world to fall apart."  
  
"I thought you Mazoku's wanted that." said Xellos.  
  
"Not really," said Xellos. "Most of your average Mazoku just want to take over the world. What's the use of unleashing a super horrible Fate on us that even we, the Mazokus, will not be able to handle? After all, that will kill of our main form of sustenance. Back to my question,... where is Lina-san?"  
  
"Like Amelia said," said Zel.  
  
"I know what Amelia said." said Xellos. "I want to know what you have to say." Zelgadis thought it over. Xellos was never known to outright lie. Of course, his ulterior motives anyone was welcome to guessing. But he had heard rumors about the fall of the Mazoku. There were rumors of strange beasts appearing everywhere. What Xellos said seemed true. He would take the risk.  
  
"You, are an idiot," said Zelgadis as he took another sip of coffee. "Why didn't you say that earlier!"  
  
"Well, I thought you'd be nice enough to tell me with out having to know all the details." said Xellos with a smile. "So, I take Lina really is alive, huh?" Zelgadis nodded.  
  
"I'll take you to her." he said. "No one knows she's alive except for you and I. Amelia and Gourry don't know. I trust you'll keep the information a secret..."  
  
"Why of course," said Xellos. "What I don't understand is why she chose to fake her death?"  
  
"She hasn't told me that either." said Zelgadis. The two simultaneously took another sip and stared at each other.  
  
The DAN... (dreaded author's notes... *shudder*)  
  
Well, what do you think? This is one of my first Slayer's fic... be gentle, please????? Well, what else, Comments and Criticisms welcome, as usual, but no flames... I don't deal too kindly with them. Any ideas you might want me to consider?? BTW, please put a subject in your e-mail. I have a habit of deleting mails with no subject if they are from people I don't know. Thanx!!! What else... tell me what you think... I'd greatly appreciate the feedback. And a huge and grateful thank you to the awesome and wonderful people who reviewed the fic!!! You guys are cool!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I know, you're all like, "Wow, she thinks we're cool!!!" ^o^;;  
  
Anywho... about the Version 1.2 thing. It means chapter one, second revision. This chapter has gone to a major revision, due to a few comments a reviewer made. After reading their mail, I realized that they were right. So, thank you!!! To the one brave soul who dared criticize my work. (Sorry, I accidentally deleted your message. Could you send me your alias again so I can give ya credit???) Hopefully, it has made the first chapter even better... tell me your opinions. And I'm very, very, extremely and truly sorry for this... forgive me?... please??? don't be mean?...  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai ^_^  
  
Dec. 18, 2001  
  
"Ganar no es importante, sino hacer perder al otro." -Cindy Wong  
  
"It's not winning that matters, but making the other loose." (rough translation from the quote above by me!) 


	2. Past and Present revealed...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Here we go...Slayers is not invented by me...I'm not taking the credit for it. (I'd never have thought of it in the first place.) I'm not stealing credit from the legit owners. The Tarzokus are my own invention. This takes place in an A/U after Slayers Try...  
  
Chapter 2 (Version 2.2)  
  
Past and Present revealed...  
  
The ride to Seerin was a long one. Xellos had explained to Zelgadis that he'd rather not teleport, because Madabar's people were on the look out for him. And he didn't want to lead them right to Lina. So the two got horses from Amelia's stables, and basically rode all the way to Seerin. Amelia had graciously given them two horses to make a ride. Of course, they didn't tell Amelia where they were going or that Lina was alive. They wouldn't tell her till there was no other choice. Needless to say, the ride was slightly annoying for Zelgadis, since he didn't really care for Xellos, and Xellos, knowing that, was taking advantage of it. The net result? Xellos had a delightful snack during the whole trip.  
  
"You're sure Lina has a horse," stated Xellos again.  
  
"Yes," said Zelgadis in monotone.  
  
"Absolutely sure?" asked Xellos again.  
  
"Yes," said Zel. This time, a vein popped out on his forehead. Xellos enjoyed the delicious snack and decided to give him a break. No more was said until they arrived at Seerin.  
  
*****  
  
Seerin was a lot like a small village. It was extremely peaceful, almost normal, except... for one thing. As was mentioned before, Seerin was a place where many wizards and researchers lived, since it housed the extensive Magician's Library. Every seer, wizard, sorcerer, sorceress, had heard of Seerin and it's wealth in arcane lores. The streets were full of many people, and a few children here and there. Many wizards went about with their long flowing snow white hair. It was a virtual magician's trade center. Due to the fact that just one mile under the city there was a thick layer of approximately three miles of pure, solid orihalcon. No one knew how it got there, but the orihalcon, combined with the magic that was daily given off by the inhabitants, had wriggled itself into the very geography and environment of Seerin. It was quite unusual to see a butterfly, the size of a dog land on a black flower with diamond petals that was equally as large. (These were the rare cases, though... ) Nobody owned trees or shrubs, since they liked to move around every once in a while.  
  
Here, girls didn't play house. They loved to pretend they were magicians, not princesses. The dolls they had were not of pretty girls in pretty dresses. Rather, they were normal girls wearing magician's hats with robes. Boys didn't play ball, they made up balls with raw magic and bounced them around, pretending they were fireballs and flare bits. All in all, it was a peaceful village. Xellos noticed that nobody cared about Zel's chimera make up, or cared for the fact that he himself had strong power. After all, magic was a normal occurrence here. Zel even nodded to a few people who evidently knew him. The two walked silently down the main street and entered a side street with some houses. Zel led him to the farthest house. It was a cute cottage type house with a small stable. It had a cream or woody color with dark bronze trim. The trees around this house were particularly big and leafy, due to the amount of magic around the place. It had a triangular roof with a cute chimney peeking out. The windows had dark red curtains and over all, it seemed like a very pleasant house.  
  
"THAT'S where Lina lives?" asked an astounded Xellos.  
  
"Yeah," said Zel, smirking. "I was just as surprised. I thought she'd have a house with smoke pouring out the windows or something."  
  
"It seems...almost...calm..." said Xellos. Zel agreed and with that, they walked to her house.  
  
*****  
  
Tirla Inverse had woken up that morning with a feeling of premonition. Her dreams had started to appear around a week ago. After spending two years running from destiny, she had been so sure that she had escaped. Unfortunately, destiny would not explain or wait for anyone... After making herself a big breakfast, Tirla had gone to her small library and started on her lesson plan for the afternoon. Her ruby red hair was long and slightly curly. It reached down to her waist in thick fiery waves when not gathered. At the present moment, it was put up in a bun at the base of her neck. Her ruby eyes were piercing. Although she was slightly on the small side, she had an air of intelligence and knowledge about her. She sighed and went to the kitchen after making a few notes and after looking at the position of the sun, made some tea and coffee for her company. Now, all she had to do was wait, so she took out a book and started to take notes. She didn't have to wait long, for after a few moments, Lina heard a knock on her door. She opened the door to find a chimera at the door.  
  
"Zelgadis," she said with a cheery smile. "Do come in!!"  
  
"Hello Tirla, how are you?" he asked politely. Before he could keep on, Tirla spoke.  
  
"Hello, Xellos," she said. It seemed as if she were speaking to thin air. Xellos appeared from the  
  
shadows. "It's nice seeing you after two years and a half. Do come in." The look they gave her was absolutely priceless. Zelgadis's and Xellos's faces were mirror images of each other, both shocked. Tirla tried to keep it in, but failed and burst out laughing.  
  
"Come in you two," she said. The two obediently followed her in. "You can call me Lina now," she said after muttering a quick encantation.  
  
"Lina, is that you?" asked Xellos as he took the sight of her. She had grown about an inch or two. She was still on the short side but because she had grown a bit, she seemed slimmer than before. Her hair gleamed in the morning light that came from the window. She wasn't wearing her sorceress garb. On the other hand, she wore a loose white shirt with a yellow vest over it. Instead of the pink tights from before, she wore loose red pants. To complete the ensemble, a pair of reading glasses were perched on her nose. To say that he was speechless was like saying that the ocean was a pretty puddle. Lina laughed again, and this time, Zel joined in with a smirk.  
  
"Wake up, Xellos," he said. "You look like an idiot." That woke Xellos up.  
  
"Yes, Xellos," said Lina. "It really is me... would you like me to Dragon Slave you out of here to prove it?"  
  
"No, that's fine." said Xellos quickly. Lina invited them to sit down in a small living room. It had a small fire place that wasn't lit. The walls were decorated with pencil sketches, with oil, pastel and acrylic works of art. With a start, Xellos realized who they were. Lina had gone to the kitchen to bring something to drink and Xellos turned to Zel.  
  
"The subjects in those pictures... they are..." started Xellos.  
  
"Yup," said Zel. He had a relaxed look on him. "Those are us." Xellos raised an eyebrow. He felt as if nothing could surprise him anymore. He had had more surprises today than ever before. 'Whoever did those pictures must be very good,' thought Xellos. 'There's a picture of the whole group. They even captured Zel's quietness, Amelia's bouncyness, Gourry's innocense...Hey! There I am! With my trademark grin!' He stood up and went closer to see who the artist was.  
  
"Like the pics, Xel?" asked Lina as she came in with a tray with tea and coffee. She winked at Zel, which Xellos didn't see.  
  
"Very nice," said Xellos. "Who did them for you?"  
  
"Why, you don't recognize the artist's style?" asked Lina with feigned surprise.  
  
"I know the artist?" asked Xellos while Lina poured tea and coffee. "I can't read their signature. They have a very messy signature, though..."  
  
"Really?" asked Lina dangerously. Xellos didn't notice. "Tea, Xellos?"  
  
"Yes, please," said Xellos. "Yeah, it's the messiest signature I've seen. And I've seen many." He sat down in a chair. Zelgadis was holding back his laughter like crazy. Lina's eyes twinkled mischievously behind her glasses.  
  
"So, Lina," said Zel. "Did you finish the other one yet?" asked Zelgadis.  
  
"Yes!" said Lina. "I finished it the other day. Would you like to see?" She stood up and went to another part of the house. In a few seconds she was back with another painting. This one was of Zel and Amelia. It was in done in oils, and showed the two sitting together on a bench, sharing a quiet moment. Zelgadis nearly choked on his coffee and felt himself blush. Lina hadn't told him that it was about him and Amelia. Xellos, was once again speechless. Lina's laugh started all over again. After a while, both Zel and Xellos joined in to her laugh, for it was so contagious. Zel realized that Lina had played a joke on him, and Xellos was just amazed at the change in Lina. He felt... happy also. After a while, they stopped.  
  
"Oh, gosh," said Lina. "I really needed that!" She took a sip of tea.  
  
"Lina, you're the artist, right?" asked Xellos. "I can't believe it. But you still have a horrid signature."  
  
"I'm in too happy a mood to dragon slave you, Xellos," said Lina with a smile. "I'll do that later, though, OK? By the way, are you staying for lunch?"  
  
"Sure," said Zel. "Xellos here has something to tell you."  
  
"Sure," said Lina. "I trust your judgment Zel. If it was so urgent that you had to break your promise..."  
  
"It's very important," said Xellos.  
  
"I know." said Lina as she stood up. "I was just joking, Zel, 'K?"  
  
After a quick lunch that Lina made, they sat down and started to talk.  
  
"I have a question, Lina," started Xellos. "How did you know I was with Zel? Did you know we were coming?" Lina turned serious, almost sad.  
  
"I expected you two to come today, that's true," said Lina as she took her glasses off and placed them in a case.  
  
"How did you know?" asked Zel.  
  
"I've been having dreams again, lately," said Lina sadly. "But I don't know everything. All I know is that Xellos has an urgent mission for me. And that I have to take it, right Xellos?"  
  
"Well, truth be told," started Xellos. "I don't know too much about it. These scrolls were given to me by Beastmaster Zelas. She was sure it was you the scrolls talked about."  
  
"But I know it won't just be me." said Lina. Her eyes got a faraway look in them. "Amelia, Gourry, Zel, and Xellos will be there also... I'm sure. No matter how hard I try, you're always there."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Zel with a worried look.  
  
"Nothing," said Lina. "I'll tell you guys later. Can I see the scrolls? How soon should we leave?"  
  
"As soon as possible," said Xellos as he handed the box of scrolls over."  
  
"The earliest I can leave will be around tomorrow night or afternoon," said Lina. "By the way, who are we fighting against this time? I'll have to do research tonight."  
  
"Research?" asked Xellos. "What have you been doing these two years? And why did you fake your death?" But Lina pretended to not have noticed him. Her glasses were once again on her nose and she had taken a pad of paper and was furiously scribbling notes on it and looking the scrolls over. Zel stopped Xellos from speaking louder.  
  
"Don't," said Zel. "She may seem different, but she's still the headstrong and moody Lina we knew from before. Your questions will have to wait." Xellos nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Lina scribbled. After about five minutes, Lina looked up.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Lina. "Help me clear the dishes, please? My students will be by in a few minutes."  
  
"Students?" asked Xellos as he helped clear the dishes.  
  
"Of course," said Lina. "I need to make a living anyway."  
  
"But, YOU, a teacher?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Gosh, this conversation sounds familiar, right Lina?" asked Zel.  
  
"Yup," said Lina. "Wonder why?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. She turned to Xellos. "When Zel first saw this place, he was acting just like you are, saying the exact same things..."  
  
They quickly put away all the dishes, all the time, Lina described her three students. Just in time, because someone knocked on the door.  
  
Lina ran quietly to the door and paused while putting a finger to her lips. All of a sudden, she yanked open the door and three girls tumbled in. They were about the same size, each with blue black hair and green eyes. It was quite obvious that they were sisters. The taller one was wearing a maroon/red dress with yellow trim. The medium height one was wearing forest green pants with a green shirt, tied of at the waist with a gold sash. The youngest and shortest one was wearing cerulean blue pants with a navy blue shirt tunic with an Asian collar. A silver sash adorned her little waist. Each girl had on a black back pack.  
  
"Aunty Tirla!!!" they shouted as they got up quickly and rushed her.  
  
"Hey!" said Lina/Tirla as she hugged each one of them. "Here, let me introduce my friends. This is Zel, but you know him already, right?" The little girls looked the chimera over and nodded before rushing him.  
  
"Uncle Zel!!!" they shouted. Zelgadis laughed and messed their hair up. They all had long hair that was braided and reached to their mid back. The girls screamed with delight until they noticed someone else. Immediately they held still and got quiet.  
  
"This one, is another of my good friends," said Tirla. "He's Xellos. Xellos, these are Rowan, Rhea and Riza Tarkzy." She pointed from the tallest one to the youngest and shortest one. Xellos grinned a them. The taller one looked at him with puzzlement and then at a picture that was hanging on the wall.  
  
"You're the one in the picture, right?" she asked politely. Xellos turned back and looked at the picture on that wall. There was a picture of just Xellos in oils, framed in cherry wood.  
  
"Yes," said Xellos. He hadn't noticed the wall before. The wall was full of portraits of single  
  
people. There was one of Xel, of Zelgadis, of Amelia, of Gourry, of Sylphiel, Filia, Martina, Zangulus...  
  
"And you can do magic also?" asked the one in blue, Riza.  
  
"Yes, I can." said Xellos.  
  
"Last time I checked, Xellos was stronger than I was," said Lina, knowing how much they admired magic users."  
  
"Wow," said Rhea. "Not everyone is as strong as Aunty Tirla."  
  
"That's cool," said Riza. "I like him!" With that, she ran to him and held her hand out. "Hiya, Mr. Xellos!!!" she said with a smile. Xellos felt oddly touched and shook her hand very seriously.  
  
"You know, me too!" said Rhea. She ran to him and glomped on to his other arm. Rowan looked at  
  
him critically before declaring, "Anyone who is a friend of Aunty is my friend." She smiled and dimples appeared.  
  
"Good," said Tirla. "Now that you all know each other, Class is now in session!!!" The girls giggled and ran to Lina's living room. "You guys want to watch?" she asked Xellos and Zel as she walked in. The two nodded and sat down in the back.  
  
"I will now take role." said Lina. "Say 'Here!' if you are here. Rhea?"  
  
"Here!" shouted Rhea.  
  
"Riza?"  
  
"Not here!"  
  
"Oh, O.K., Rowan?"  
  
"Here!"  
  
"Good," said Tirla. "Take out your homework." Each girl had taken a sofa seat as their desk and each took out a paper from little back pack. As Tirla checked all of their homework and taught the next lesson, Xellos couldn't help but watch her. She seemed so in control, so different from the wild eyed sorceress he knew. What scared him was just how much he enjoyed watching her. He knew before that he had always admired Lina, but now... something was different.  
  
"OK, said Tirla. "Rowan, recite me the clauses for a Condensed Fireball."  
  
"First line, mid level recitation. Raise of power to 24.3% above the average. Second Line, abrupt drop to 15.6%. Emotional level is held below average by 4. Last line, abrupt incline to 34.9%. Emotional level increases to 2. Concentration influx change, 35%. Total energy spent... 12.4 Kerl."  
  
Class was soon over. Tirla went to the kitchen and brought out a plateful of cookies that she had stored in a jar. As the girls munched on their cookies, Tirla just smiled and watched them. Before long, the trio had started to play tag with them. It was a funny sight. Zelgadis was 'it', he ran very slowly, and just when he was about to catch them, he would shout and end up tripping on purpose, causing the girls no end of fun. When Xellos was 'it,' the girls would run and when they were catching their breath, Xellos would materialize behind them and whisper, "Boo." which would get the girls running again. Lina smiled, knowing that she would keep the memory of the day with her forever. She felt her eyes traveling to Xellos continually. How was he taking all the fun and happiness that was generated around him? And why, in the world, was she thinking about HIM anyway? 'Stupid dreams...' she thought. Finally, the girls had to leave.  
  
"Rowan, give this to your mom as soon as you get home, O.K.?" asked Tirla as she handed her a note. Rowan nodded solemnly and hugged everyone. Her two sisters followed her example and soon the yard was empty.  
  
"Help me pack up my stuff, OK?" said Tirla. They went inside to put a fix up the living room and clean up some things. In a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Tirla ran to open it and talked quietly with the person at her door. After another few minutes, she went back inside.  
  
"OK," she said. "The reason I can't leave now, is because I have to talk to people to tell them that classes are canceled for I don't know how long, which means that I have to talk to the mayor in the village. So that's where we are having supper tonight."  
  
"Those three are the mayor's kids?" asked Zel.  
  
"Yes," said Lina. "I told them about you guys, so you two are invited also. I'll spend the rest of the night packing stuff up and putting them away." The two nodded.  
  
*****  
  
Supper at the Tarksy's house was extremely pleasant. Mrs. Tarksy was a wonderful cook and they had lots of fun. Once again, Xellos and Zelgadis played with the children while Lina spoke with the two parents.  
  
"So, Lina," said Mrs. Tarksy, for she knew who Tirla really was. "You have to leave us?"  
  
"I'm sorry," said Lina. "But duty calls. These two years have been absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for everything."  
  
"We'll miss you , Lina," said Mr. Tarksy. "And I'm sure the kids will too."  
  
"If everything turns out OK," said Lina. "I'll be back to teach the children."  
  
"So, everything is worked out, Lina," said Mrs. Tarksy. "We'll take care of your house. We'll sell it if we get a note from you or any of your friends, or in case you die. The money goes will go to the Princess Amelia so that she can spread it out. And your paintings?"  
  
"Those are for you except for a few I'll take with me," said Lina. "The details are in the letter."  
  
"We'll do it, Lina. We'll take care of everything."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
And so it was that Lina Inverse, also known as Tirla, left Seerin. On the day of her leaving, she chose a few pictures but gave the rest to her student's families. Her house was put under their care and several misc. things were sold. She shed the clothes of scholars and put on her sorceress outfit. Of course, it had been re-modified to fit her taller frame. Many people came to see her of, for she had been a wonderful neighbor and a great teacher. She saddled her own horse, Tirla and started to ride out with her two friends. But before that...  
  
"You're leaving Aunty Tirla?" asked Riza, her green eyes tearing up.  
  
"Yes, my dear," said Tirla as she hugged her.  
  
"And Uncle Zel and Xel are leaving also?" asked Rowan.  
  
"Yes, we are," said Zelgadis.  
  
"And you're never ever ever ever ever going to come back?" asked Rhea.  
  
"We're not sure," said Tirla. "If I can, I will. If I can't, that's that. Be good while we're gone, K?" For each one of them, she gave them a small sketch book with some picture drawn on the first page. And with that, and a hug for everyone, Tirla and her two friends left.  
  
The DAN... (dreaded author's notes... mwahahaha!!!)  
  
Hello! Here's the next chapter. What do you think? As usual, Comments and Criticisms are welcome. Flames will be doused... What else... Sorry the chapter doesn't have much action... it's mostly background info on where Lina has been these past two years. The next chapter will hopefully have a bit more action, and more about Lina's dreams. BTW, if you haven't noticed, I'm a Xel/Lina person. (Please, I'd rather you not kill me with hate mail because I like this couple. I actually can stand other couples, except that this is my fav.) Well, hope you enjoyed it. BTW, when dropping me a note to my e-mail (if you ever wish to...), please put in a subject, or I'll delete it. Thank you!!!  
  
Merry Late Christmas to everyone!!! God bless you all dearly!!!  
  
And also, before I forget... Thank you for all the cool reviewers out there whose only pupose in life seem to be making struggling writers like yours truly very very happy by writing them small notes. Thank you!!! You all encourage me so much... I even had a dream in which I e-mailed everyone of you and thanked you...  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai ^_^  
  
Dec. 28, 2001  
  
"The beauty of twisted wit is that the ignorant can't understand it and the uninspired can't silence it."  
  
- Cat Deely 


	3. Revisiting the Past once more...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
disclaimer...  
  
[please insert the standard and probably copyrighted disclaimer in between the brackets. Thank you! You guys know the drill..]  
  
note... a few small revisions... nothing major....  
  
Chapter 3  
  
(Version 3.2)  
  
Revisiting the Past Once More...  
  
The three riders left the village of Seerin. It was a sunny late afternoon and there was a pleasent breeze. All in all, it was very pleasant.  
  
"So, where are we going?" asked Lina as she rode with her two companions. Xellos, the one beside her spoke up.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said with a grin. "Just kidding!" he added when Lina attempted to give him a punch in the gut.  
  
"You better be, you fruitcake!" muttered Lina. Zel just nodded.  
  
"Well," said Xellos. "We'll be going to visit Lord Beastmaster!"  
  
"WHAT!!!!!" shouted Lina. "Zelas??? Why her?"  
  
"Because she ordered me to lead you to her." said Xellos simply.  
  
"You're going to take us to Wolf Pack Island!!!!" shouted Lina. Zel smiled to himself. Calm Tirla was gone, and in her place was Impulsive Lina. It was about time.  
  
"No," said Xellos. "I'm taking you to Jinnia, a small city near Wolf Pack Island."  
  
"Jinnia?!" asked Zelgadis, his turn to be startled. "Why are we going there?"  
  
"As much as I don't like to admit it," said Xellos. "...Zelas is not feeling too well, because of an attack by the Tarzokus to her."  
  
"They attacked her?!" shouted Lina. "How is she?"  
  
"Resting, Lina," said Xellos. "Don't worry."  
  
"And Lina is supposed to be the one to finish these Tarzokus off? What or who are the Tarzokus anyway?"  
  
"Tarzokus..." started Xellos. "I don't know too much about them. Truth be told, I'm not sure. I've never heard of them until Zelas told me about them." The two looked at Lina. She had a faraway look in her eyes, as if recalling something.  
  
"Hey, Lina," said Zel. "Are you OK?" That seemed to bring Lina back.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry." said Lina. "You were saying?"  
  
"Do you know anything about the Tarzokus?" asked Zel. "I thought you might know a bit, since you've been doing research all this time."  
  
"So that's what you've been doing for two years?" asked Xellos. Lina nodded an thought for a while.  
  
"Tell you what," said Lina. "I'll tell you what I've been doing my past two years, you tell me what you've been doing, 'K?"  
  
"Why would you want to know what I've been doing?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Because you're different from the fruitcake mazoku general/priest I used to know." said Lina bluntly. "Let's face it, I've only heard you say 'Tha'ts a secret' only once! While we were at my place, you frolicked with Rhea, Rowan and Riza. You were actually generating good sentiments and feelings!!" There was a pregnant silance. Xellos had looked down, sheepishly. "Not that there is anything wrong with that," said Lina again after a while. "It's just that....I don't know, it doesn't seem like you... I'm sorry." The two guys looked up at that. The Lina they knew hardly ever said 'Sorry', especially for something as trivial as an outburst. What surprised them more was the fact that they saw a trail of silver tears fall from her closed eyes. Immediatly, Xellos was at her side and hesitantly touched her shoulder with his hand.  
  
"Ne, Lina," he said quietly. "Do you want to rest for a while? We can have a small snack before going again to Zelas-sama." His voice was quiet and sincere, almost tender, Zelgadis noted.  
  
"Yeah, Lina," he said. "Besides, there's a nice copse of trees over there, not too far away." Lina nodded and the three rode quickly there. Besides, it was getting dark. Perhaps it would be better if they stayed there for the night. Before long, they had arrived and the three had set camp. Lina had not spoken a word ever since her tears had come. Zelgadis and Xellos conferred for a while. Zelgadis nodded, gave him a withering look and then left to fill water skins at a nearby stream that they found while scouting the area. He had promised to leave the two alone so that they could talk. At camp...  
  
Lina finished setting up camp with Xellos's help. They had a ring of stones to make a fire and the sleeping bags had been rolled out. There was also a pile of twigs and branches to make the fire for later. After everything was set up, Lina just sat on a log and stared into nowhere. A philosophical person would say that she was focusing on the end of infinity, in which Lina would probably bop said person on the head for spouting off such nonsense. A normal person would say that she was now on the moon, right before being Dragon Slaved by Lina. Fortunatly, Xellos was neither. He sat down beside her.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" asked Xellos after a while.  
  
"Yes, thanks," said Lina softly. There was another silence.  
  
"Do you want to start, or should I?" asked Xellos.  
  
"It doesn't matter," said Lina. Her eyes focused on him. She was surprised at the concern she saw in there, and felt herself blushing fiercely. Abruptly, she turned her head down and looked at her hands, studiying intensely her fingernails, which Xellos noted, where very nice.  
  
Xellos was meanwhile looking at her carefully. He wanted to...he wasn't sure what. He had never felt this way to another person before. How could he describe it? It was care and concern, almost. Not quite. After all, he was a mazoku. But it was something like that. And he wanted to calm her fears, soothe her. But how? and more importantly for him...why? Before he had a chance to speak, Lina had looked at him. He had tried to read her eyes. She seemed so much like a little girl, her ruby eyes glinting with curiousity. Then she had turned her eyes down, her cheeks turning just as crimsom as her hair. He smiled inwardly. She probably had no idea how cute she seemed like that. He decided that he would start, but Lina beat him to it.  
  
"I'll start," she said softly. "Two years and a half ago, around there, I disbanded our group. I had recently had several dreams that had disturbed them, and felt it was necessary to disband the group. I think the dream was prophetic. Whether it was or not does not matter, though. The group was disbanded, but my dreams continued. Each night, it would be different. But I was always there. So I decided that if I wasn't there, you guys wouldn't be pulled in it, as would I. Obviously, fate doesn't work that way, since you guys are here for me. Still, I had to trie. I had to trie to stop the prophecy from ocurring."  
  
"Was it that aweful?" asked Xellos. "I mean, you saw us all there; surely, together we could have pulled it through." Lina shuddered.  
  
"No, it was awefull," she whispered. "I wouldn't want anyone to go through that...I still don't. Anyway, I thought it worked. By then, I had made good friends in Seerin and staged the death of Lina Inverse. While Lina was sick, Tirla, a cousin who happened to be travelling came and took care of Lina, but alas, Lina died. Zel was around there and he came as soon as he heard the news. He recognized me, although no one else did. I convinced him to be quiet, and ever since then, I've been researching. Seerin has amazing libraries. I researched a cure for Zel, and also took up teaching to make a living. That's when I met Rowan, Rhea and Riza. They came for classes. Before I started to teach, though, I took up painting to pass time, and well, you know about that. I got a horse and many times, I would go around Seerin just blasting bandits, or practicing with my sword and magic to not get soft. And the whole time, I researched new spells, and made some of my own up. Well, that's my life in a nutshell. Every once in a while, Zel would come over, and we'd train together, as well as research..." Xellos nodded. She seemed to have been fine.  
  
"Looks like you spent the last two years well," said Xellos. It was getting late. "I'll light the fire, and tell you my story after supper, do you mind?"  
  
"No, not at all," said Lina. She smiled at him. She felt so much better, after talking to the fruitcake, even though she still hadn't mentioned any of her problems. To her suprise, he had been a very well behaved fruitcake. "And I'll light the fire. That's my specialty!" Xellos laughed and Lina giggled slightly, glad to release some tension from her nerve racked body.  
  
"Fireball," she whispered and a small flame shot from her fingers. The wood blazed and before long, there was a very cheery fire going. Zelgadis, who was watching from the shadows made his entrance.  
  
"It was about time you two finished your chat," he said with a small grin. Lina blushed lightly and Xellos smiled crazily, as usual. They ate from rations they had with them from Seerin and the three sat around the fire. After a while, Xel spoke.  
  
"O.K.," he said. His face still had a grin. "I'll tell you my story now, I guess. Let's see, two years and a half, that's a long time, you know. I remember leaving on an assignment for Zelas a while before you guys disbanded. I had been feeling very... how can I put it?... slightly sick, but quickly got over it. Then, Zelas told me to search for a set of scrolls. The same ones you have now, Lina." Lina looked surprised.  
  
"It took you so long to find them?" she asked. "Amazing! I thought you knew everything!!!" She grinned to show that it was a joke.  
  
"Yeah, I know," said Xellos with a slight grin. "Anyway, while still searching for the first scroll I heard about your death from Zelas. To say that I was surprised was an understatement. And when I learned it was a sickness, I got extremely suspicious. But Zelas had me working very hard, and I had no time to investigate. I had quite a few...um...adventures while searching for the scrolls. I'm still a mazoku, but you know how adventures are. One can't really go through them with out being changed. For me, it was a drastic change." There was an akward silence. No doubt, Xellos had planned it this way.  
  
"Oh," said Lina quietly. "You didn't have to tell us,..."  
  
"It's O.K.," said Xellos. "Don't worry about it. Perhaps, one day I'll tell you guys some of the adventures, perhaps..." There was silence again.  
  
"I'll take the first shift," said Lina after a while. The others nodded.  
  
"I'll take second," said Xellos.  
  
"I guess I'll take third." said Zelgadis. Lina nodded.  
  
"And we're leaving for Jinnia tomorrow, right?" she asked.  
  
"Of course, LIna," said Xellos. The two guys started to sleep.  
  
Lina smiled slightly and sat against a rock. She concentrated heavily for a second as she drew an extensive maze of magic traps around the camp. She saw the color lines of her trap glimmer as she closed her eyes to concentrate. It looked like an intricate string figure that not was only surrounding the camp on the sides, but seemed to form a dome around them. She actually was inspired by a game that her three students had played during a break. It was one of her invented spells. A shielding spell, a trap that could not be easily broken from the outside and had a slip knot on the inside that she could "pull" to undo the trap. To be able to disable it from the outside, one had to form a sort of "cut" on an actual "string" to be able to break it, yet the slightest nudge would travel through the lines and reach her. Simple yet effective.  
  
She opened her senses to feel her surroundings and took out her journal. This was her third jounal. The other two were hidden in her pack. She took out a pen that Riza had given her and smiled at the memory that it brought to her. For a while, there was no sound except some wind rustling some leaves and Lina's pen scratching along on her journal's surface. She smiled as she wrote. It was an extremely peaceful watch. After her watch was over, she quietly walked over to where Xellos was sleeping. He looked extremely peaceful sleeping like that. But no doubt he was only half asleep. She gently nudged him with her hand as she knelt near him. He opened his eyes slowly, blinked rapidly and looked at Lina. She was just staring at him. It was one of the few times she had seen his amethyst eyes, and it took her breath away.  
  
"Ne, Lina, what's up?" he asked grinning to himself when he saw her expression. That sort of shook her awake.  
  
"Oh, sorry," she said quietly as she blushed. "It's your shift now." Xellos nodded and got up. He looked around him.  
  
"You set a trap up, right?" he asked. Lina nodded. He seemed to study the trap around them. "Hm...very ingenious of your part, Lina. It is very good and has a wonderful craftsmanship to it. Simple but exquisite." Lina blushed again. What was with Xellos? All he seemed to do nowadays was to compliment her.  
  
"Silly mazoku," she said with almost no heat. "Stop making me blush."  
  
"But I'm telling you the truth, Lina," he said with a smile as he looked at her with his amethyst orbs. There was an uncomfortable silence on Lina's behalf. Xellos grinned. "Good night, Lina," he whispered into her ear. Her back tingled. That was it.  
  
"Fireball!" she said quietly and blasted Xellos into a tree. "Serves you right, fruity mazoku," she muttered as she went to sleep in her roll while clutching her journal. "And next time, save your stupid comments to yourself..."  
  
"Itaii..." said Xellos weakly. Zel ignored them, and continued to pretend to be asleep.  
  
As the night passed on, Xellos found himself getting extremely bored. He looked around and saw Lina's journal. With a wicked smile, he carefully levitated it from her grasp. His smile grew as he realized what it was. It seemed like Lina had a little habit of writing things that happened to her. He turned to a page.  
  
Entry # 849  
  
Hi, again! I had the most interesting day today. Zel came over early morning and we spent the morning in the woods sword and magic sparring. My hair got really annoying, I'm thinking about cutting it short again. But it grows really fast...oh well. We had a great time practicing. Zelgadis told me about Amelia and Gourry and how everything was going, as usual. I think he said that Amelia was travelling to a city from outside the barrier to establish even more trade. Gourry , as usual, is accompanying her.  
  
Zel asked me today if I ever regretted pretending to have died. I can't lie to him, there have been times where I've missed everyone, even the fruitcake. Anyways, we had lunch and then I had Zel pose for me. I have a surprise picture for Zelgadis. It'll be of him and Amelia, but I'm not telling yet. I've asked him about his relation with Amelia, but he doesn't like to talk about it. Maybe the picture will force him to think about it. I can't wait to see his face when he sees it. ^o^ I really can't wait. Anyway, my students came and poor Zel was once again flocked by the three munchkins. They are so sweet. Riza learned her first spell today. She can now do a moderation I made up of the fireball spell. We had an unplanned party, and what made it even more special is that Zel was there also. It was so much fun!!!! Riza was so exited that she started to throw fire everywhere...I quickly started my next lesson when a fire started. How to cast a water spell I made up, Water Gush and Mini Wind to control the fire and steer it into one place...  
  
Anyway, class was soon over, and we hugged the girls. It's so sweet how the girls call Zelgadis Uncle Zel. I think he likes children but that he's uncomfortable with his condition. Anyway, the people here don't care. After all, my next door neighbor is a kitsune, and the police man is a zombie every third full moon. I told Zel about my latest research. Nothing really concrete, but a few leads here and there. Anyway, he stayed for the night. While he was sleeping in my spare room, as usual, I was thinking (and still am) about my dream last night.  
  
This time, it was different. It's always different. This time, everyone is there, but there is a new person in the shadows. I can't see anything of him, but I can feel him. I leave him alone, trying to defeat the foe in front of me, who is also a shadow... Somehow, I'm hurt, badly... I still don't understand how... and just when the shadow is about to kill me, the other one appears and stops the other shadow. I don't understand dreams... Can you love someone in a dream? Because just then, I though my heart would burst with it. I don't know who he is..., for I know it's a him. Does he love me back? Do I even know him? I think I do, but I can't place him. Perhaps he's someone I'm to meet in the future? Anyway, I'll go to sleep now, it's late, and tomorrow, I have to wake up early to bid Zel good bye. 'Night. Tirla L. Inverse  
  
'Interesting,' thought Xellos as he turned the page. It seemed that Lina had very interesting dreams. 'I wonder who the shadow she fell in love was?' He checked the date. It was about three or four months ago. He read the next entry and skimmed it to find the section on her dream. 'Ah...here it is.'  
  
Entry # 850  
  
.....I had the same dream last night. Exactly the same, except that I saw his eyes. I'm fighting again, everyone is down, but I can't tell how hurt they are or how they were hurt. If I knew... I could try to stop it. But I can't. Zelgadis goes down protecting Amelia. Amelia and Gourry team up to fight, but they go down also. Once more, I notice the shadow who seems like a friend to us. Why won't he show himself? Is that how he is in real life? Once more I'm down, and once more I'm about to be killed. My attacker has teal colored eyes, and the other shadow rescues me. I look at the area where his face is... All I see is... the saddest pair of eyes I've ever seen. I don't remember the color, I wish I did. His eyes were so sad. I tried to croak a thank you to him, but he set me down, squeezes my hand and turned to fight my other shadow. The battlefield is empty. Perhaps the shadow is one of the fighters from before. I wish I knew... There's an explosion, and all is dark...I don't know what to do... Who is he? What happened to him? It's like a scene from a horror novel. Everytime, something else happens. I don't want them to die. I'll research dreams tomorrow. Perhaps... I'll find something, though I don't know what... 'Night. Tirla L. Inverse  
  
'A mysterious person, indeed,' thought Xellos. He turned a few more pages. Did Lina ever find out who she had been dreaming about. It looked like Lina hadn't told anyone about the content of her dreams. He wondered who Lina had fallen for. He felt something squeeze inside him... After skimming a few entries, he found something interesting.  
  
Entry # 856  
  
......Another dream last night. As you can tell, I've been having dreams for ages now... I finally found out who he was, and I'm scared. Is the dream a premonition of what will happen? Or do I love him already... Is what I call love even...love? I saw his eyes. I remember their color. I won't right down who he is... for one day, perhaps the enemy will see this. I won't let them harm him, although I know he could defend himself. There were different people on the battlefield today. None of the guys were there, only Amelia, Sylphiel, Martina, Naga and Filia. I shudder to think why Naga is there. I don't want them on the battle field. It's my battle. The battle is somehow my fault, I know it, yet they are there, and dying because of my mistakes. I don't want them to fight, but I see them fall before me one by one. Amelia looks heartbroken...she's fighting with grimness and anger I've never seen. Something happened to Zel... Sylphiel is crying as she's struck down. I hear her scream. I can't stand it anymore! So I fight, knowing the shadow would be there for me. This time, he steps from the shadows and I see him. I can't help it, it's too late. I've tried so hard... We fight together. He gives me the strenght I need. Instead of ending in an explosion, the shadow we fought causes even more shadows to appear. I'm scared, terrified. The skies are blood red, the field is a barren wasteland. So many dead...but there is golden light shining above him and I... we are one, it seems...and then I wake up. It was scary, and I'm terrified. Years ago, I thought I could stop it if I died and wasn't there. Now I know that if I die, there's no one to stop the disaster. So I must fight... and I'll keep on fighting to the end. Now, if only I could remember that always. Tirla L. Inverse  
  
Xellos looked at the journal, her writing blurring in front of his eyes caused by some liquid that had seemed to appear from nowhere. He blinked them back. Someone who didn't know better might mistake them for tears.  
  
The last sentance had a feeling of hopeless hope. So tired, knowing that she'll have to fight, knowing that one of her dreams will come true, knowing that people will die. But hoping so hard that perhaps, something will happen to stear it away. She had stopped running away. She was ready to deal with it, but not ready at the same time. And who was Naga anyway? His watch was over and he carefully put the journal in Lina's arms again. He leaned over her. 'So innocent and peaceful in her sleep,' he thought. 'Who would have known that behind the sleeping eyes, there is probably a dream of unimagined horror playing in her tired mind. Sleep well, Lina- chan, and may you finally meet your watchful shadow...' He laid his hand gently on her forehead for a while before waking Zelgadis up for his watch. After explaining the trap to Zelgadis, he went into a half sleep. He needed to recuperate to be able to lead Lina and Zel to Beastmaster.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, the two were woken up by Zelgadis, who had breakfast laid out for them. After eating hurriedly and filling their canteens with water, they were ready to go visit Beastmaster.  
  
The days and nights passed with out too much occurence. Usually, they rode hard all morning, took a break at lunch and rode hard again in the afternoon, trying to not tire their horses too much. At night, Lina would rest by a tree and basically read the prophecy and frown intelligently, giving her the air of an expert. She took many notes on a pad of paper with a quill she had brought along. Many times, she would mutter to herself and stare into nowhere in deep thought. Whenever her two travelling companions tried to talk to her, she would either wave them away or not answer. So the two learned to leave her alone during her time of meditation and study.  
  
They met a few bandits on the way. Lina had decided to change her appearence. There was no need for people to know that Lina Inverse was back. To bandits, she was Tirla. Her coal black hair was put up into a ponytail. And her eyes were fucsia. Lina might be dead, but Tirla was here to replace her. And it was not a pretty sight when Tirla was in a hurry to go somewhere and bandits were in their way.  
  
"Fireball!!!!! Diem Wing!!! Flare Bit!!!! Blast Ash!!!! Digger Bolt!!!!!! Ra Rilt!!!!!!! Burst Rondo!!!!!" BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Oops, there goes another bandit flying merrily through the happy afternoon skies...  
  
"Wow, Lina san is having fun, ne?" asked Xellos to Zel as they watched the fight from their horses. They had to watch from a distance at first, because the horses weren't really used to all the noise, but little by little they grew immune to the loud cries of agony from the bandits.  
  
"Nice to know that some things haven't changed," muttered Zelgadis as he held on to the bridle to Lina's horse.  
  
"Die you bandits!! Out of the way, for Tirla the Terrible is here!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" BOOM, CRASH, AAAAAAHHH, BOOM, BANG, ZAP...  
  
"Tirla the Terrible?" asked Zel with a sweatdrop. On closer inspection, we can see that Zel isn't the only one sweatdropping. The bandits are also.  
  
"Tirla the Terrible?" asked a bandit... "What type of stupid, idiotic, sissy, weak and pathetic type of name is that???" ...right before being Fireballed in the face.  
  
"I gave her that idea," said Xellos. "I think it's quite nice. It has a ring of... cuteness to it." Zel face faulted on his horse. The two continued to watch Tirla/Lina release some pent up frustruation in very harmful ways. Xellos grinned happily, Zelgadis shook his head, and Tirla's laugh rang out into the skies. What a lovely afternoon.  
  
The DAN...(all together now, the dreaded author's notes...)  
  
OK, OK, so it's still going a little slow. Just a lot of thinking and talking going on here. Looking at the next title...next chapter will have some talking and reminiscing also. It's called Unwanted Reunions and Promises, something like that.... Even more background info, and more meetings with people. Before you know it, I'll probably have everyone tag along for the ride. ^_^;;  
  
So, what do you think? Comments and Criticism always extremely welcome. Flames will be doused by the new fireman's hose I got the other day ^-^ BTW to all you wonderful and amazing, and cool and great and very nice people who reviewed, thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much!!!! You all deserve the very best!!! Yep!!!! Thank you for reviewing, you made my day!!!!!!! (thanx, thanx, thanx, thanx!!!!) Aaaaah!!! I'm so happy!!!! I'm already working out on the next chapter.  
  
Enough...hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can... Might take some time though, I'm starting classes soon...=( Anyway, have a great day, and till next time!!!  
  
BTW, this chapter has some very minor changes here and there... sorry for any incovenience...  
  
  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
December 29, 2001  
  
Second Revision... January 12, 2002  
  
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecrting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."  
  
--Thodore Rubin 


	4. Trials and Tribulations of the One chose...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Um.... uh... I have a witty disclaimer somewhere here. Um... but right now, I can't find it, so you'll get stuck with the boring one for now, 'K? Here goes: I don't own Slayers. There, that's it.... Oh look!! The first star out!!! Time to make a wish!! Starlight, Star bright, First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, get the wish I wish tonight... (Dreams are very, very nice. Don't you think so?)  
  
Warning...  
  
To any reader from before... I have revised the plot a bit, you might want to check out chapter 1 before you go one. Remember,... there, chapter 1 has gone through a make over!!!!  
  
Chapter 4 (version 4.1)  
  
Trials and Tribulations of the One chosen by Fate...  
  
Lina looked at the house suspiciously. She had researched dark lords, and no book had ever said that they had houses like this one. It basically screamed, "I'm the most average house in this average city in this average world." It was... cutesy. It was... clean. It had a manicured front lawn with little animal lawn ornaments!!! They were all, unsurprisingly, wolfs.  
  
"This is where Beastmaster is hiding??!" she exclaimed. Xellos quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shhhhh," he whispered to her. "Nobody but us know that, OK, Lina?"  
  
"Fine, fine, and I'm Tirla, 'K?" said Lina as she studied the house once more. She had taken off her costume by now. "At least, until inside. Still, I never thought she'd live in a place so...so...neat and cute." Zelgadis muttered something under his breath and Lina only caught part of it. Some thing about pots and kettles calling each other names.  
  
The house had a cute little roof with a cute little chimney that spouted cute looking puffs of smoke. She still hadn't figured out how smoke could look cute. The walls were spotless and white, not black or purple or any other color of doom. The curtains were sky blue with gold trim. And the lawn!! The grass was green and cut. And everywhere, there were clusters of grape vines. And not just any grape vines, but.... Sephyrian grapes!!! The grapes were huge and a crimson purple color. The stems were a pale olive green. All of them, characteristics of the famous Sephyrian pearls/grapes.  
  
"May I ask why in the world, the lawn is choked with grapes from Sephyria?" she asked.  
  
"Why Tirla, I thought you knew that Zelas loves Zephyrian wine. It's the best, after all. So she grows her own grapes and every wine making season, hires wine makers from Zephyria to come here and make her wine. The whole basement and area underneath the house is full of casks of Sephyrian wine!"  
  
"O.K." said Lina slowly. "This is too weird!"  
  
"No kidding," said Zelgadis as he too, marveled at the spotlessness of the house. He had seen few cottages so clean. First, there was Lina's. Now there was Lord Beastmaster's. Next would be Xellos or Phibrizzio's... He shuddered. He was sure the end of the world was coming. Next thing you knew, Xellos and Lina would be a couple or something like that. He peeked at Xellos and saw that he was staring at Lina with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Great, the end of the world was coming, he knew it. He knew it. And he was getting the beginnings of a headache.  
  
"So, let's go in." said Xellos with a smile. Zelgadis gritted his teeth. Something about that smile always made his blood boil. He still hadn't figured out why. Stupid Mazoku... Lina gulped and then nodded. It was then that Xellos realized that Lina was... scared, terrified, nervous, and many other things like that. He put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Ne, Lina," he whispered into her ear. "It's alright. I'm sure Zelas won't bite." Lina was too scared to Fireball him for touching her like that. She just gulped again and nodded. Xellos debated with himself for a few seconds. Perhaps Lina was too preoccupied to notice. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as he led the way to the door while Zelgadis followed them. Xellos was surprised when Lina squeezed his hand back. His heart soared and his smile became wider, not that anyone was watching. He finally reached the door. Lina had slowed her steps down. She was getting nervous again. Xellos smiled reassuringly at her and opened the door.  
  
*****  
  
Zelas smiled to herself as she felt the three enter the house. Hopefully, her dear brother was handling Madabar's group. Madabar still didn't know about him. It would be interesting to watch her expression when she found out that she had a spy in her group. After so many years of planning and finding all the original scrolls she could, she finally had her trap set up. Xerxes had been liberated from Xellos after Lina disbanded her group. Xellos was told to go on a hunt for the fake scrolls, not knowing that they were fake. Xerxes had awoken angry, and rightly so. One side effect of linking him with Xellos was that Xellos possessed about a third of Xerxes's power, since they were linked for so long. Which meant that Xellos was now stronger than before. That was both good and bad. Xellos had always been a favorite, but Xerxes had a grudge against him. Another problem she hadn't foreseen was the change in Xellos while he looked for the scrolls. He had mellowed out somewhat. She remembered that Xellos hadn't been a complete Mazoku when she had drafted him into her army of Mazokus, but now, taking Xerxes away from him, it seemed to also have taken part of his Mazoku-ness. Well, she'd fix that some day. Now, she had more pressing troubles to see to. Like how she was going to deal with Lina and Zelgadis.  
  
The inside of the house was quite different from the outside. For one thing, the backs of the curtains weren't blue with gold. They were black with ruby trim. The furniture was made of dark and heavy oak, giving it an air of sophistication and a sense of timelessness that prevailed in the room. The floor had a midnight black carpet, while the walls were forest green in color. There were no hangings on the wall, but there were shelves and shelves filled with many bottles. And all of these bottles were filled to the brim with the finest Sephyrian wine that Zelas could get her hands on. Another shelve proudly showed of her collection of wine glasses. The tables had bowls brimming with crimson purple grapes.  
  
"Nice place," muttered Zelgadis.  
  
"No kidding," said Lina as she walked softly. Their footsteps were muffled as they stepped on the black carpet. It was afternoon outside, but the lighting inside was dim, due to the fact that the curtains did not allow much light in. There were quite a few lamp stands filled with candles, which Xellos lighted.  
  
"I'll see how Zelas-sama is doing, and then I'll call you two up, OK?" Lina and Zel nodded. "And please be careful with everything. Zelas can be very... unpleasant if her things are played around with." The two nodded again and Xellos went up a set of stairs. While Xellos was up, Lina and Zelgadis started to talk quietly to each other.  
  
"I don't quite like this Lina, if you'll pardon my saying so." said Zelgadis seriously as he eyed the room around him warily.  
  
"I don't blame you," said Lina. "I noticed a barrier around the house, and there is a feeling of... I don't know... something like.... treachery, slyness..."  
  
"You're right, Lina," said Zelgadis. "I didn't notice the barrier, though. Are you sure?"  
  
"Of course I'm sure," said Lina with a faint grin. "I've been researching dark lords for two years now. I know more about them, now."  
  
"So, what are you planning to do?" asked Zel. Lina smiled to him.  
  
"I think the Mazoku think I'm weak or stupid, or perhaps that I was born yesterday."  
  
"Oh, you mean the escape thread you wound up outside?" asked Zel.  
  
"Shhh." said Lina with a smile. "I think Xellos was too happy to notice, or maybe he didn't quite recognize it."  
  
"I think you had too much spare time if you worked on kids magic like escape threads and string figure barriers." said Zel with a small smile.  
  
"Hey, I made them for the kids. They have to start out small, and escape threads are very useful, no matter how childish. Anyway, here's my plan. We'll listen to what Zelas says, and then if things get out of hand, I'll pull the escape thread."  
  
"And if we're separated?" asked Zel.  
  
"I made one for you also." said Lina with a twinkle in her eye.  
  
"Thanks," said Zel. He concentrated for a while and smiled as he 'saw' it. It had been very beneficial spending time with Lina. Lina's magic was very helpful at times. "Where will we meet?"  
  
"If worse comes to worse, meet at Amelias." said Lina quietly. Their conversation was cut short as Xellos appeared before them and led them to Zelas's room.  
  
Before then...  
  
"Zelas-sama," said Xellos as he entered the room. Zelas jumped a little. She hadn't felt him at all. How strange. "Lina and her friend Zelgadis are here."  
  
"Thank you," said Zelas, trying to look tired, checking her energy level. It would be wisest to lower it slowly while she talked, so it would seem as if she were getting tired as she spoke. "Good job, Xellos. How did you find Lina?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu," said Xellos with a smile. He was feeling quite happy. Zelas silently got mad at him. He could exasperate her so badly at times...  
  
"So, how is Lina?" she asked. "Has she read the prophecies yet?"  
  
"Actually, I'm not sure. I know she read a bit each night, before going to sleep." said Xellos. "We rode here as fast as we could. I'm not quite sure if she's read all of them yet; the whole day was usually spent riding, Zelas-sama." Zelas nodded. She would convince Lina to stay here for the night so that she could read the prophecies and talk to her about the Chosen One. It was a fool proof plan. "Should I call them up, Zelas?"  
  
"Sure, but first, I want to ask you a question," said Zelas. Xellos nodded and waited for her. "Lately, how have you been feeling? I detect something different from you." Xellos seemed to think the question over slowly before answering. "And remember, Xellos, don't lie to me."  
  
"You know I don't lie," said Xellos. "I just twist the truth or withhold some facts. Anyway... I feel fine. I don't think there's anything wrong with me. What do you mean by detecting something different?" But Zelas didn't answer him. She was in her own world. *He's used to the change and won't see it as different. I was right, much more than Xerxes was taken from him. But how much?* After a while, she spoke up again.  
  
"Xellos, bring Lina in."  
  
"What about her friend, Zelgadis?" he asked.  
  
"Leave him down there. What I have to say, is for the Chosen One only."  
  
"So, you are sure Lina's the Chosen One?" asked Xellos. He wondered. Zelas nodded, and Xellos phased out.  
  
"Hey Lina!" he said cheerfully, another grin on his innocent face.  
  
"AAAAHHHH!" shouted Lina. Followed by, "FIREBALL!!!" to the Mazoku. The blast pushed him into a wall. Fortunately, nothing fell down or broke.  
  
"Xellos!" said Lina after realizing who she had just fireballed.  
  
"Yes, Lina, I missed you also," said a dazed Xellos as he got up and dusted himself off.  
  
"You stupid, fruitcakey, smiley, crazy, and idiotic Mazoku!!!!" she shouted to him as she started to pound him silly. "Don't do that to me!!!!" She finally finished her number on him and let him go. Zelgadis smirked. He always enjoyed the thrashings Lina gave out, as long as it wasn't to him. Xellos rubbed a bump on his head.  
  
"Ouch, Lina," he said, while pouting, trying to look cute. "That hurt. You didn't have to hit me so hard, did you?"  
  
"Yes, I did," she said angrily. Xellos grinned, and snapped his fingers. Immediately, he seemed all right.  
  
"Although that was fun, Lina-chan," he said. "Juuo-sama is waiting for you."  
  
"Now?" asked Lina, her face turning pale. "What about Zel?"  
  
"Well, to answer your first question, yes, Zelas would like to see you now. And she only wants to  
  
talk with you. Zel can stay down here with me! Won't we have fun, Zelly!!!?"  
  
"Shut up, Mazoku," muttered Zel.  
  
"I do have a name, you know," said Xellos, pretending to be hurt.  
  
"Yeah," said Zel. "But I don't care, Mazoku."  
  
"Sheesh," said Xellos with a small frown. "You're no fun!" Zelgadis shook his head. He could feel a headache coming. A really big, major one. Darn it. He needed aspirin, and he needed it right that moment  
  
"OK," said Lina carefully. "I'll go up, and see Zelas, and hopefully, she won't try to cream me, and then, we'll see." She slowly walked up the stairs with Xellos waving his handkerchief as if it were a flag at her.  
  
"Good bye, Lina!" he said. "Be careful, and don't trip over the stairs. A few of them aren't really there! Watch out for the alligator guarding her door, it's real, not a statue... We'll miss you so much... Include me in your will, please?!!!" A ball of fire flew at him from the stairs.  
  
"SHUT UP!!!" she shouted before going up. She was nervous enough as it was with out the idiot shouting things like that to her.  
  
"Ouch," whispered Xellos from his place on Zelas's floor.  
  
"Serves you right, Mazoku," said Zelgadis as he sat down on one of the chairs to wait for Lina.  
  
*****  
  
Lina slowly walked up the stairs. They were dark, and creepy and were presently, scaring her silly. 'Great, just great!' she thought. 'The great and almighty Lina Inverse is scared of a bunch of stairs. I just can't wait to see how I'll feel when I see Zelas.' Sarcasm dripped from her thoughts like golden globs of the most gooey and thickest honey around. Her foot landed on a stair that all of a sudden wasn't their. She quickly grabbed the rail and stopped herself from falling. A voice could be heard.  
  
"Oops!" said the voice. It sounded like... "It seems like you have stepped on the fake stair. Too bad! Thanks for playing!" Lina was all of a sudden transported to the bottom of the stairs, where she fell on top of Xellos. Zel raised an eyebrow when Lina appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"Ouch," said Lina.  
  
"Ouch," said Xellos, under Lina. Lina looked down and blushed as she hastily tried to get off of him.  
  
"Sorry," she said hastily. Xellos just smiled.  
  
"So," he asked as he grabbed hold of her hands, really quite liking how she felt on top of him. "What happened?" he whispered in her ear. Lina got extremely red. Zel watched with thinly veiled amusement, that is, with a smirk on his lips. He couldn't wait for the thrashing that he was sure was coming.  
  
"I... I..." stammered Lina as she awkwardly tried to get her rampaging feelings under control. Then, her hearing fine tuned. "Xellos..." she said in a low growl.  
  
"Yes, Lina?" he asked, not quite sure how to take her tone of voice.  
  
"That was your voice, wasn't it???!!!" she accused him. He tried to look innocent. "Why,... you.... Aaaaaaargh!!!" And with that, she got free of him and started to throttle him like crazy. Zel nodded inwardly and took his smile off his face. Lina could be so predictable at times.  
  
Second time around...  
  
Lina looked at the ... thing in front of the door. He had got to be kidding. There was no way in the world that... that... thing was an alligator. The word alligator pointed to a halfway innocent looking reptile with a toothy grin, green skin... This was... three times longer and two times fatter and three million times meaner. It had silver colored teeth that were about half the size of her fist.  
  
"Hello," she said nervously as she sloooowly approached the door's guardian. Great, just great... how in the world was she going to get through him to see Zelas? Not that she really wanted to... but that was beside the point.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Alligator," she said softly and hopefully, also calmly.  
  
"I'm not an Alligator," said the creature. "I'm a Crocodile."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." she said.  
  
"And you don't have to treat me like an idiot, Lina Inverse." She was taken aback. "Because I really hate people who do." With that, it opened its gaping mouth. Darkness was the last thing Lina saw. The last thing she heard, though was, "Oops! It seems like you have just been eaten by the Alligator. Too bad! Thanks for playing!"  
  
Her vision was blurry. The first thing she saw were purple eyes, which she immediately punched.  
  
"Ouch," said Xellos as he massaged his face. "Nice to see that you're better."  
  
"Hey, Lina." said Zelgadis as he leaned over her. "Are you OK?" Lina nodded and scowled darkly at the Mazoku.  
  
"Stupid Mazoku," she muttered as she got up and dusted her clothes off. (just realized I haven't described her attire... oops...) She was wearing a white lab type coat with huge pockets in the sides and no sleeves. She wore a dark maroon red shirt underneath that was long sleeved, and it had a band of yellow across the chest area. Her pants, were also red and were loose. Her feet were adorned in soft hide shoes with thick soles. She was basically wearing the attire of a licensed researcher in Seerin. With a determined look on her face, she grabbed Xellos by his yellow shirt collar and dragged him up the stairs.  
  
"Don't worry," said Lina as Xellos bumped up and down on the hard, cold and wooden stairs. "We'll be back." Zelgadis nodded and settled himself comfortably in his chair. It might be a long wait.  
  
Third time...  
  
"OK," said Lina as she unceremoniously dumped him onto the floor. "Explain THAT." she said crossly. Her finger pointed to the huge Alligator (sorry, Crocodile) guarding a dark and huge door made with oak.  
  
"Oh," said Xellos. "That's Gorky, the Alligator that guards Zelas's door!" He smiled at the crocodile. "Hello, Gorky! She needs to go in and see Zelas."  
  
"Gorky?? His name is Gorky??" asked Lina as she tried to somehow connect the name Gorky to the huge monstrosity that called itself a crocodile. For some weird reason, she couldn't.  
  
"No," said the crocodile. "My name is not Gorky."  
  
"Of course not," said Xellos. "Where would you get such a ridiculous idea???" He got elbowed on the head for that one.  
  
"You're the one who called it Gorky!!! What in the world am I supposed to think???" screamed Lina into his ear.  
  
"Ouch, " said Xellos as he tried to shake the ringing sound from his ears. "Fine, fine. You're no fun! His name's not Gorky, it's just his nickname." The crocodile snorted, but kept silent. "His real name is.... Melfynusti, and he's a Mazoku also." Lina now tried to connect the name Melfynusti with the 'crocodile'. It still didn't work. It fit worse than Gorky did.  
  
"Seriously?" asked a skeptical Lina.  
  
"He's right," said the crocodile, Melfynusti. "For once, the bozo over there is not twisting the truth. I'm a Mazoku and my name is Melfynusti. And don't think that just because you're Lina Inverse, I'll let you cross the door."  
  
"But Gorky," said Xellos cutely. " Lina really needs to see Zelas..."  
  
"Shut up, Xellos," said Melfynusti coldly. Xellos frowned at him.  
  
"Well, at least, you use my name," said Xellos. "Lina here usually just calls me fruity Mazoku or the such."  
  
"Of course, you idiot," said Melfynusti (Melfy for short). "I refuse to call you what you are not. Which is why I call you bozo, idiot and other such names."  
  
"What do you mean, Melfynusti sir?" asked Lina, intrigued. Xellos looked confused, for once.  
  
"Finally, some respect from the younger generation!!" said Melfy.  
  
"Way younger generation," smirked Xellos. "Old Gorky here, was in Zelas's group before the war between Ryozokus and Mazokus." A thick ebony colored tail appeared from nowhere and gripped Xellos by the throat.  
  
"Shut up, Xellos," said Melfy. His tail tightened, a warning of what he could do, but was choosing not to do. "And Lina Inverse..."  
  
"Yes?" she asked timidly.  
  
"Beware," said Melfy simply. He let go of Xellos and flicked his tail back to the darkness where it had come from. "The simplest things are often the most tricky, simply because you think they are so amazingly simple. Think about it. This time, I'll allow you through. Next time, though, it won't be so easy." With that, he turned around and left them. Needless to say, both Xellos and Lina were speechless.  
  
"Nice friend you got there," said Lina. "He's sane, right?"  
  
"Gorky always tells the truth," said Xellos. "He just says it in riddles and puzzles. That's one of the wonderful traits we Mazoku usually have. We'll tell the truth, but it's buried deep in a jungle of games." With that, he phased back down. Lina nodded and steeled herself. She knocked timidly on the door. There was no answer. She knocked a bit harder. There was still no answer.  
  
"Forgive me please," she whispered to herself as she just turned the knob and opened the door. Instead of finding a mad Beastmaster for having her privacy interrupted... she saw... a corridor with lamps at the sides. At the end of the corridor, there was another door. She stared at it, and walked to the next door. With another gulp, she knocked semi loudly on it. There was once again no answer. Slowly, she turned the knob of the door handle and entered... another corridor. Stress marks began to appear on her forehead as she stormed straight ahead and barged into the next room, and next, and next, and next.... finally, she just got mad and fireballed the next door in her path and ran into the room. To her utmost surprise, instead of coming against another annoying corridor, she ran into a slightly annoyed Beastmaster.  
  
"Gaaaah!" shouted Lina as she stopped before knocking the Beastmaster over. "Oh, oops... sorry. I didn't mean to burn your door up."  
  
"Sit," said Beastmaster.  
  
Author's Notes... (I got tired of DANs...)  
  
Dum, dum, dum.... and I leave you on a cliffhanger...  
  
Well, this is all for now. I know, I know, it's a tad bit boring... but there is no need for a fight to appear yet. I hope my feeble attempts at humor have found pleasure in some reader's eyes. If not... oh well, I tried...  
  
Oh, to the really observant ones who realized that, hehe... the title is different... Well, let's say that I had to change some things around to make the story fit, and the title was one of them.  
  
Thank you again to the wonderful reviewers, you guys are really estupendo!!!! (wonderful) Keep up the good work!!^o^ Son maravillosos!!! Magnifico!!! Genial!!!! (and a bunch of other stuff....^-^)  
  
OK, this will be the last update for some time, because I'm swimming in an ocean of homework. Hey, it's not easy writing, when you're taking Chemistry, Physics, AP Language, and Pre-calculus the same year.... definitely not easy. Some of you might have that problem, sympathize with me!!!!! ^o^;;  
  
So, you probably won't hear from me for some time. Don't worry, I haven't fallen off the planet... yet... and I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can....  
  
Thank you again... and remember... Reading and Reviewing is really good, as is giving Comments and Criticisms...^_^;;  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Quote for the Chapter..."Vision without action is merely a dream, action without vision just passes the time, but vision with action can change the world." -- Joel Baker 


	5. Childish Conversations...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
(also known as the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek... )  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Hotaru, reading off a paper: "I don't own Slayers... I don't?"  
  
Sakura: "No, you don't."  
  
Hotaru: "Are you sure? I could have sworn..."  
  
Rei*: "No, it's not yours."  
  
Hotaru: "Oh, oh well... are you sure???"  
  
Rei* and Sakura: "Yeeeeeeess." They sigh.  
  
Hotaru: "Well, according to my dear friends, I don't own Slayers..."  
  
Sakura: "Oh, and Hotaru?"  
  
Hotaru: "Yeah?"  
  
Sakura: "I got a new name for you. I hereby dub you as the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek!! That is such a dude-type of name!!!"  
  
Hotaru: "Cool!"  
  
Mutual facefaults...  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Childish Conversations... (Version 5.1)  
  
Lina looked nervously at the Beastmaster as she sat down in the chair that Zelas had pointed. It was a nice chair, made of heavy dark oak and blood red cushions.  
  
'Don't think about blood,' thought Lina to herself. 'They are not blood red... they are... dark red...' She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she made herself as comfortable as she could.  
  
Zelas had meanwhile started to study her. Zelas was wearing a white tunic with gold, red and black trim. Her flowing blond hair was put up in a high pony tail gathered with a black cord. But in a few seconds, a mist of blues, grays and purples appeared and surrounded her. After the mist cleared, instead of Zelas, a younger looking person was in her place.  
  
"..." said Lina as she witnessed the transformation. This new girl looked to be about her age. She still had blonde hair, but it was loose. The tunic had shrunk, and her eyes were a glittering iridescent green color, as if tiny emeralds had been scattered across a rich and luxurious forest green velvet.  
  
"Greetings," said a soft and sweet melodious voice that came from the girl opposite of Lina.  
  
"Um...uh... you're Beastmaster, right?" asked Lina hesitantly. She secretly checked the power level and magical arrangement of Beastmaster.  
  
"Yes," said the girl. "I am Beastmaster. I have had to leave my old form and take this one, which takes less to uphold, causing it to become a lesser drain on me."  
  
"Oh,..." said Lina intelligently. And sure enough, the power levels were extremely low. "So, why did you want me?"  
  
"Oh, nothing much," said Zelas with a small smile. "I can see it in you, Fate has once more begun with her dance... now, all I can do is watch out for you; It's up to Chance herself to see if Fate will dance with Death or Life."  
  
"O.K." said Lina hesitantly, trying hard not to freak out. "So, what am I supposed to now???"  
  
"Well," said Zelas. "Have you read the prophecies?" Lina brightened up, now she wasn't on shaky ground. Prophecies were her specialty, along with bandit hunting, and treasure expert... As long as there were no more sayings of doom and gloom, she'd be fine, she hoped...  
  
"Yes, I've read them," said Lina with a glint in her eyes. "All of them, and I have a few questions,..." She took out a small sheaf of papers from one of her coat pockets. Zelas inwardly twiddled imaginary thumbs.... hopefully, it wasn't going to a really huge mistake or something...  
  
*****  
  
Xellos paced the floor. He had paced the floor for quite some time now..., actually, ever since he had phased back,... that is.... a little less than one minute. Zelgadis decided to inform him of that fact.  
  
"I know," said Xellos. "But still, I'm sure that is enough time for her to find the three million doors I set up. I was sure that she would be transported back..."  
  
"You mean, you set up yet another trap for her???" asked Zelgadis.  
  
"No, I set them up years ago, when Zelas ordered the house built." said Xellos.  
  
"But why put such... childish traps?" asked Zel, curiosity oozing out of him.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" said Xellos as he smiled cutely and wagged his finger from side to side at Zelgadis.  
  
"Figures," said a mad chimera. "What else can I expect from an idiotic Mazoku like you?"  
  
"There's the question of the century," said Xellos. "Why will nobody call me Xellos, except Gorky? And he won't call me Mazoku..." Xellos sat down on the floor and frowned cutely. Zelgadis decided not to ask who in the world was Gorky. After all, it would probably interrupt the silly Mazoku's concentration. He could already see the smoke coming out of Xellos's ear.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
"So, what you are saying is that,..." here, Lina checked her notes. "The reason that the scrolls don't have a call number is because they were written before the call number system was invented?"  
  
"Of course," said Zelas as she took a huge draught of orange juice. Normally, she'd be smoking something, or drinking wine, but smoking and wine just didn't fit in with the personality she chose. Besides, orange juice was still good, it just needed more alcohol... now, there was an idea, why not just spike all the juice in the house??  
  
"But, how can I cross reference the facts?" asked Lina.  
  
"But Lina," said Zelas. "You have no need to cross reference your facts."  
  
"Yes, I do," said Lina. "All facts must be double checked when mentioned in a prophecy. Rule #26, in The Researcher's Guide to Knowledge and Prophecy. Besides, the prophecy talks about another prophecy which the Chosen One was supposed to have fulfilled by them."  
  
"Oh," said Zelas. Stupid Xerxes, what in the world had he written. Lina continued with the next question.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Xellos decided to stop thinking about it, or else, he would have a major head ache. He was bored... all Zel did was radiate control and calm... how annoying. No angsty feelings to feed on. He was bored.... like majorly bored... Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to him... perfect! And Zelgadis wouldn't care, and neither Zelas nor Lina would ever know... so he phased out.  
  
'Silly Mazoku,' thought Zelgadis as he tried to make himself comfortable. He took out a book from his cape space and started to read. We zoom in to the title of the book... "Stress and You"  
  
Meanwhile, Xellos froze outside Zelas's door and cocked his ear as he tried to listen. Finding it hard, he took a glass from where ever it was he put his stuff and held it to the door. Interesting...  
  
In Zelas's room...  
  
"...and just who wrote the prophecies, do you know?" asked Lina to the girl who was still drinking her juice.  
  
"Why is that important?" asked Zelas. "It's a prophecy, perhaps the person wanted to remain anonymous."  
  
"But Beastmaster!" said Lina. Seeing Zelas in the little girl disguise had made her feel many times more comfortable. "It's standard regulations! According to The Researcher's Guide to Knowledge and Prophecy, which was written eons ago, any prophecy written must have the author's ID number and call number address!!! It's for credibility! No sane researcher in Seerin would obey a prophecy like this one!"  
  
"To tell you the truth," started Zelas, her mind working like lightning. "I have no idea who the author was... I wasn't keeping track of them. But I know that, whether written by a licensed prophet or a crack, Fate has a different way of working things..."  
  
"Well," said Lina hesitantly. "You're right about that... I just wish I knew more... I mean... gosh! It concern's L-sama!!! You would think she could spare me a few seconds and come and tell me something!!!"  
  
'Or maybe not... I hope she doesn't,' thought Zelas as she tried to look intelligent while drinking her juice... Out loud, she said, "Why don't you and your dear friend Zelgadis stay here for the night? That way, you can check out the scrolls. I'll try to help you, but I really can't do much, you know..."  
  
Lina thought about it for a second. Normally, it wasn't safe to stay under one roof with the Beastmaster... but then, it wasn't safe to disobey her orders either. And, she should really ask Zelgadis his opinion, if he thought it safe to stay here or not...  
  
"I'll have to ask Zelgadis if he has any other plans, or not..." started Lina. Zelas nodded understandingly and snapped her fingers. In a flash, Zelgadis appeared in the room, on the chair, reading his book. He looked up, startled, his eyes blowing up to huge proportions before he realized where he was. Immediately, his book went back to his cape-space and tried to look cool and calmed. He almost succeeded, except for the fact that Zelas chose that moment to offer him some orange juice.  
  
"Would you like some?" asked Zelas. Zelgadis stared. "It's rich in vitamins and it's good for you! And non alcoholic too!!!" He looked at the juice, and then at Zelas, and then at Lina, and promptly sweatdropped. Lina smiled awkwardly.  
  
"Hey, Zel!" she said weakly.  
  
"Um..." he said. He nodded at the girl offering him some juice. "Is that who I think she is?"  
  
"Depends who you think I am," said the girl simply. "Will you have some?"  
  
"Um... no thanks," said Zelgadis. The girl kept on.  
  
"I mean, if you think I'm the princess of Zoana, I'm not. I'm not royalty either. And I'm not a guy..." Zel just looked at her.  
  
"Um... Zel," said Lina hesitantly. "That's...um... Lord Beastmaster, Zelas."  
  
"Oh, I thought so,..." said Zel quietly. Lina nodded slowly.  
  
"So, anyway Zel, I have a question for you." said Lina. She whispered in his ear... Zel sweatdropped and looked at her as if she were crazy.  
  
"And you're asking me???" said Zel. Lina nodded and batted her eyelashes at him.  
  
"So, tell me, what should I do???" Her eyes were huge and watery. They were really big. He didn't understand how they could stay on her face... "Sure, I guess so..." said Zel. Lina nodded to Zelas.  
  
"Okey dokey!!!" said Zelas. She snapped her fingers and Xellos appeared. He happened to be holding a glass to his ear. He froze and quickly hid the glass. Or at least, he tried to. Lina saw it and grabbed the glass away from him.  
  
"Xellossss...." she growled.  
  
"Yes, Lina chan???" he asked cutely, hopping she wasn't too mad.  
  
"What is this?" she asked. Zel stepped back and waited for the Xellos- bashing to begin. Zelas smiled cutely and also stepped back.  
  
"Um... a glass, Lina chan..." said Xellos.  
  
"And what are you doing with a glass at your ear?" she asked with a dangerously quiet voice. Xellos was about to speak, but Lina kept on. "And if you say, 'That's a secret'... I will majorly kick your butt into the middle of next week after sticking you in one of Amelia's pep talk sessions." Xellos blanched.  
  
"Um... I.... hehe... I was..." started Xellos, getting a tad bit nervous. He began to play with the corner of his robe.  
  
"Yes, Xellos??" asked Lina  
  
"I was... letting my ear drink some wine..." he said with a major smile on his face. Lina sweatdropped before she broke the glass on his head and then started pounding him.  
  
"You stupid, silly, idiotic, crazy, mentally handicapped Mazoku!!!!!!!" shouted Lina as she shook him after his pounding.  
  
"Itai..." said Xellos.  
  
"Anyway, Xellos," said Zelas. "I want you to show Zelgadis and Lina to their rooms. They are staying tonight with us."  
  
"Whooooopeeeee!!" said Xellos as he disentangled himself from Lina's clutches and jumped around the room. "Yaaaaaah!!! Lina chan and Zel are staying for supper with us, Lina chan and Zel are staying for supper with us..."  
  
"Fruity Mazoku," said Lina as she bopped him in the head as he came back. Zelas just smiled.  
  
Later on... in Lina's room...  
  
Lina smiled to herself. The room was very nice, it just had an over- touch of red... but it was nice. She decided to take a bath before having supper. Who knew when would be the next time she'd have one. So, with a smile on her face, she ran to the bathroom.  
  
Fifteen minutes later...  
  
Xellos knocked on the door. Hm.... how weird, no answer... perhaps Lina had fallen asleep. Well, he was charged with the duty of telling the guests that it was going to be time to eat in a few minutes. Anyway, back to the present task... nobody was answering... was Lina OK? He cautiously opened the door and walked in. He was surprised at the change the room had gone through. Before Lina, it was very, very neat. After all, he himself had cleaned it up on orders of the Beastmaster. Of course, clean up for him meant... that everything went in different places. Anyway, it had looked very neat and clean. Now,... it looked like as if a hurricane had passed through and had paid extra attention to the room. It looked very, very, very messy. And more importantly, Lina wasn't there.  
  
"Lina!!" he shouted. No answer. "Lina!!!" There was a muffled sound coming from the adjoining room. Fearing the worst, he ran and burst into the room. He froze..., for he had forgotten that the adjoining room was the bathroom. Lina looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Didn't you hear me say that I was coming???" asked a towel-clad and red faced sorceress. As it was, the towels were dripping wet, and well, didn't leave much to the imagination. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just fry you in little pieces. FIREBALL!!!!" There was a huge explosion. Xellos went flying with a silly grin on his face.  
  
"Little pervert," said Lina as she slammed the door shut.  
  
For supper...  
  
Xellos came into the dining room, in a cute little chef's hat and white apron with purple trim and a smiley face on the center carrying a covered dish of something.  
  
"Please, tell me you didn't cook supper..." said Lina with a pale face. She and Zel were sitting at a table along with Zelas, still in little girl form.  
  
"Why Lina, I'm hurt!" said the Mazoku as he put the plate down. "And why don't you want me to cook?"  
  
"Don't you remember the puppet incident?" asked Lina, referring to one of the many adventures. You put on a pink apron and cooked a monstrosity and because of you, we lost that contest!!!"  
  
"Oh, now that you mention it, you're right!" said Xellos. He smiled and went back inside to bring in more plates. Lina sighed. Zel just stared at the covered dish. Chibi-Zelas just giggled.  
  
Finally, the time for truth had come... They all watched quietly as Xellos uncovered all the plates.  
  
"No need to worry," said Xellos. "I made them all extremely edible for you!" Lina blanched. "Just kidding!!! Hahaha!!! You're so funny, Lina chan!!!" Lina glared at him. "Zelas ordered them."  
  
Supper was sort of expected, considering that it was Zelas who ordered it. There was roast pork in red wine, and a side dish of rice with a slice of lemon on it. And salad, and bread with a Sephyrian grape preserves. For drinks, there was rich Sephyrian wine, but Lina and Zel decided to drink grape juice, which had a very weird taste to it... hopefully, it wasn't too spiked...  
  
*****  
  
That night, Lina was exhausted... majorly. So she bolted the room, brushed her teeth and collapsed on the bed with out writing in her journal. Within seconds, she was fast asleep, forgetting about the dreams she normally had.  
  
She found herself on a barren field. There was nothing there, no plants, no rocks, nothing, but the hot sun beating down on her and the ground below. There was nobody there. And it was lonely... until a little rainbow started to grow from the rock hard ground. It was a black and gold rainbow and grew to amazing proportions, spiraling as it reached for the skies. And right beside it, grew a little twig that soon turned into a ... signpost??? The words on it were... "Climb the rainbow." Lina sweatdropped and slowly climbed up the rainbow. It had shaped itself into a type of staircase by now. She climbed for what seemed for her a long time. Not that it mattered much. Whenever she got hungry or thirsty, a green and purple polka dotted cloud would fly by with something to eat or drink. The cloud would politely stay there until Lina finished and then it would go away with the trash. Finally she reached the top. There was a huge upside down dome made of glass filled with water, and it was huge. Right in the middle of it, there was a little island with candies and sweets growing everywhere. She spied a little boat that said "Row me." So she did... The sky here was more colorful, and brighter, but in a refreshing way. Once she got to the middle of the 'lake', she got on the island. Behind her, appeared a little frog.  
  
"Greetings!!!" it said. Lina jumped.  
  
"Uh..." she said intelligently as she stared at the frog. It was very, very small. It could fit in the palm of her hand.  
  
"Welcome to Frog Isle. Her highness, Chaos Amph awaits you." The little frog jumped high in the air and gave a very loud croak. Out of the plants and underneath some rocks came a little frog which slowly turned into a huge glossy, black horse as it jumped towards Lina.  
  
"Um..." said Lina. "Am I supposed to ride it?" The frog croaked and nodded. Lina nervously got on it, and the frog-turned-horse bore her away to a clearing where a little girl with huge cerulean eyes and green hair stood.  
  
"Greetings, Chosen One," said the girl. "I am Queen Chaos Amph, or as you know me, Lord of Nightmares!!!" She smiled, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.  
  
"Huh??" asked Lina as she got off. "Am I dreaming?"  
  
"Sort of," said the girl, or LoN. "You're dreaming, but this is really happening. I made this dream world just for you. Anyway, I have a question for you."  
  
"I have one too," said Lina. "I thought you were... um... different."  
  
"I am, just that right now, I don't feel like being too serious. Anyway, here's my question. Do you want to be one of my Chosen Knights??"  
  
"Huh??"  
  
"It'll be very fun, and you'll get to have cool powers!!!"  
  
"And what if I say no? I mean, I don't even know what I'll do!"  
  
"OK, if you become my knight, I promise, lot's of fun, you won't have to kill your friends because I'm not planning that, you can choose your own uniform, you'll help me play the biggest practical joke on the world and you'll find the love of your life!!! What do you think???" Lina just stared.  
  
Author's notes...  
  
So, what do you think??? Personally, I really enjoyed writing the chapter; It was so fun!!!!!.... Anyway, I have a question for all of you... I have been thinking (because I do think, just not always) I can make it into a humor fic or make it serious..., and I can't decide... cause you see, I love writing both... (sometimes I'm sort of angsty and like depressing stuff, but usually I like something brighter, and happier...)  
  
So, send your votes in!!! Your options are...  
  
1. make it serious  
  
2. make it funny  
  
3. whichever...  
  
4. stop writing  
  
()_()  
  
=( . . )=  
  
q-( )-p  
  
5. make you all guys chocolate chip cookies  
  
6. keep on writing  
  
()_()  
  
=( . . )=  
  
b-( )-d  
  
  
  
Have a great Chinese New Year!!!! Welcome to the Year of the Horse!!!! Chinese New Year is celebrated the 12th, 13th and 14th of February this year. Consider this a little present from my part to yours. Thank you for all the encouragement, people!!!!  
  
Hotaru Kimiko  
  
PS... do notice, because I'm doing a mini-poll, I can't get the next chapter out till you guys answer me... so R and R, and C and C, or just e- mail me at hml_kimiko@hotmail.com  
  
THANX!!!!!  
  
PPS... If ff.net screwed up my format, there are supposed to be little mice. One after option 4, and after option 6. One has thumbs up, one has thumbs down. ^.^;;  
  
PPPS... And thanks to Misao Nakuru Mou for teaching me the mousey!!!!  
  
Quote for the chapter...  
  
"A friend is a person with whom you dare to be yourself."  
  
-Pam Brown  
  
"Why did they nail his hands and feet? His love would have held him there."  
  
-Michael Card  
  
"There's a kind of magic in masks. Masks conceal one face, but they reveal another. The one that only comes out in darkness."  
  
-Granny Weatherwax (Maskerade by Terry Pratchett) 


	6. A Day in Town...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
(also known as the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek... )  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Once more, I don't own Slayers.... they belong to some really awesome people who don't know me... As usual... no monetary profit is made from this for it was written for fun. So yeah, have fun and read and enjoy!!!!  
  
Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warnin g...Warning...  
  
THIS CHAPTER IS A TAD BIT DARKER THAN PAST CHAPTERS...  
  
Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warning...Warnin g...Warning...  
  
Chapter 6  
  
A Day in Town... (Version 6.1)  
  
The bottom had fallen out of the world. The apocalypse was close at hand. The pigs on many farms began to mutate as wings appeared. Some of the more adventurous pieces of ham wondered what the wings were for. Others knew, and began the arduous process of learning how to fly.  
  
"I am, just that right now, I don't feel like being too serious. Anyway, here's my question. Do you want to be one of my Chosen Knights??" asked the Lord of Nightmares.  
  
"Huh??"  
  
"It'll be very fun, and you'll get to have cool powers!!!"  
  
"And what if I say no? I mean, I don't even know what I'll do!"  
  
"OK, if you become my knight, I promise, lot's of fun, you won't have to kill your friends because I'm not planning that, you can choose your own uniform, you'll help me play the biggest practical joke on the world and you'll find the love of your life!!! What do you think???" Lina just stared. Stared. Stared. Stared. Stared. The LoN kept on talking anyway.  
  
"I understand that you can't decide right now. After all, it is a pretty important choice. So here. It's the contract. You can read through if you want to. Do you have any other questions?" She handed Lina the contract.  
  
Lina thought hard. She needed to know so many things.  
  
"Are you sure this is not a joke?" asked Lina suspiciously. The Chibi LoN looked at her with her huge sapphire like eyes.  
  
"Would these eyes lie??" she asked, trying to look very cute. Lina raised an eyebrow. "Well, of course I'm serious! And you won't only get very strong. You'll be able to help your friends. For example, you will be able to cure Zelgadis's and Xellos's curse!!! Won't that be fun!?"  
  
"Curse?" asked Lina with alarm. "What curse?"  
  
"What is the phrase again?" asked the little girl, her eyes closed with a puzzled look on her head. Abruptly, that changed into a smile. "Oh yeah!! Sore wa himitsu desu!!! But anyway, Lina, you won't find out unless you accept to be my knight. Details are all in your contract."  
  
"And by when do I have to give you the answer?" asked Lina as she eyed her thick book. Inside, it was full of footnotes and clauses and tiny little print she didn't want to think about at the present moment.  
  
"I'll come tomorrow night, same as tonight. Have your answer by then. And by the way, no talking about this to anyone, or the contract becomes null and void. Page 12, last paragraph, last sentence. Bye Lina!!!"  
  
*****  
  
Lina found herself waking up abruptly. In her hands was the book/contract that the Lord of Nightmares had given her. It was really thick,.. and heavy... and had probably killed lots of trees to get the paper... did I mention heavy? She hid it under her pillow and went back to sleep, seeing that it was still night after looking out the window. And she slept and dreamt... and woke up suddenly. She opened her eyes and blinked owlishly as she tried to focus her eyesight. A pair of worried purple eyes appeared in her face. Well, not just the eyes, but the face also. It doesn't matter, but oh well...  
  
"AAAAAAARGH!!!!!!" she screamed before grabbing the closest thing to her, her pillow and threw it at his head. Suddenly she remembered the book and quickly shoved it under her covers, hopping Xellos hadn't noticed. He hadn't, after all, he did have a pillow stuck to his face.  
  
"Ne, Lina chan, why are you being so mean?" asked Xellos as he put away the pillow.  
  
"May I ask what you are doing in my room???" asked Lina. "Before I fireball you into the middle of next week?"  
  
"Um.. jeje.." said Xellos. "That is a funny thing..."  
  
"I'm not laughing," said Lina, with a raised eyebrow. "I bolted my door last night. How and why did you come in?"  
  
"Um... well, you see... it's a little late, Lina chan," said Xellos with a smile. "And breakfast was served hours ago, and Zelas san was wondering if you were OK, since you didn't come for breakfast. So I phased in and checked on you... We were very worried, you know." At the last comment, he wagged his finger at her in an admonishing way.  
  
"Oh... sorry, Xellos," said Lina as she blushed. "I didn't know..." There was an awkward silence, before Lina's body decided that it had enough. Her stomach growled. Lina blushed and Xellos laughed.  
  
"Come on, Lina," said Xellos as he smiled. "We can have a brunch!"  
  
"Oh...OK," said Lina with a small smile. "But first..."  
  
"Yes?" asked Xellos, with an eager smile on his face for once.  
  
"How about you get out so that I can change, huh?" asked Lina with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Oh... must I?" asked Xellos, a silly smile plastered on his face once more.  
  
"Xellos..." growled Lina. Xellos laughed and phased out. Lina shook her head and then quickly got dressed and freshened up. 'Silly Mazoku,' she thought with a smile. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her white coat was nice, but it just didn't really remind you of the real Lina Inverse. Of course, Lina was supposed to be dead, but still, it had been one of her favorite outfits. She had worn it for so long,... but after Lina Inverse had died,.... A new identity had been taken up, one of more respect than that of a bandit killer or dragon spooker. Being a researcher meant way more respect, a very calm life full of research and time spent in the invention of new spells and all sorts of wonderful stuff. Of course, the pay wasn't awesome, or anything... but she had lots of bandit money she had stored up over the years. And once she had started to teach, there was a steady amount of income... She stared at herself in the mirror. Perhaps, today she would go shopping, and perhaps...  
  
Anyway, she quickly brushed her hair and went downstairs for brunch with Xellos.  
  
"Where is everybody?" asked Lina as she bit off a piece of mutton and then stuffed a huge stack of pancakes in her mouth.  
  
"Oh... let's see... um..." started Xellos as he took a sip of his delightful and solitary little bit of tea in his tiny little porcelain teacup... "Zelas finished, but she went upstairs to recuperate. And your friend Zelgadis... he went out to buy some things for a journey. Seems he's still searching for a cure..."  
  
"What do you expect?" asked Lina after taking a huge draught of freshly squeezed orange juice with a bit of sugar. "I've spent forever looking for his silly cure, and I haven't been able to find it..." Lina ate quietly as she pensively stared out the window. Xellos frowned slightly. He was also on the moon as he stared at a picture of a cluster of grapes on an antique golden bowl with figures of wine presses. He was thinking about what he had heard the other day. It was weird. Normally, the scrolls that Zelas had him look were very ancient and adhered to the standard code for prophecies. Zelas was such a stickler for rules and regulations after all... how perplexing.  
  
Lina thought. She thought very hard. It was just so puzzling. The mention of Zelgadis had brought back memories of the dream from the other night. A heavy weight settled on her shoulders. Outside, she saw the puffy white clouds against a blue sky. She could see Zel in one of the clouds... what would Zel want...? OK, that was a redundant question. Zelgadis would want his cure, she knew. And what about Xellos...? A cure for Xellos? What curse could they be talking about. The Lord of Nightmares knew many things, but this was too weird. She wanted to know... but then again, she wasn't going to just ask Xellos, "Hey, Xellos! I know you have a curse, could you tell me what it is?" No way, that would not happen. So, what to do. She was in such a thoughtful mood that she stopped eating.  
  
"Hey, Xel," she said absentmindedly. "Thanks for the food. It was good. I'm going to do some research, so don't call me for supper." With that, she left and went up to her room to get her stuff. Xellos just stared at her. That was amazing, she had just left and the food wasn't finished. Now, what was he going to do with the excess food???....... He started to put it away for supper. Perhaps Zel would like to eat it, as if.... Halfway through cleaning the table up, he felt the presence of his master.  
  
"Yes, Juuo-sama?" he asked. The little girl looked at him and smiled.  
  
"I have a little job for you." she said with a glint in her eyes.  
  
*****  
  
Lina eyed the cloth in her hands critically. It was a very nice cloth... only problem... pale pink cloth with embroidered roses was just not her thing. So she put the bolt on the growing pile of fabric on her left.  
  
"I told you, I want some sturdy cloth that doesn't look like it's material for a porcelain doll!" she told the shopkeeper. He smiled suddenly and went to the back of the room and came out a few seconds later with a second bolt of cloth. Lina stared at it and began to finger it. It was sturdy, that was for sure. Not only that, but also semi-thick. And it was a dark red, almost maroonish in color. And no embroidered flowers or fruits. She placed it on her right. Now she had cloth for her tunic and pants and trademark yellow band. Now, to find cloth for a cape.  
  
"Anything else, miss?" asked the shopkeeper. He looked down at the sketch of the clothes she wanted, along with the color and measurements. It looked disturbingly familiar. Like the outfit the sorceress Lina Inverse had worn two years ago, before dying.  
  
"Yes, I'd like to make a cape that would fit these shoulder guards." said Lina/Tirla. From her tote bag, which held the huge contract and her prophecies, she took out a pair of shoulder guards, each with a gem the size of her fist embedded in each surrounded by gold trim. "Do you have any cloth that sort of looks,...majestic and dark.... something black with gold or dark red..." said Lina, her eyes shining with delight as she thought about how she wanted the cape to look like. The shopkeeper thought for a while and then nodded. He had some cloth that had just recently come from a shipment from Mipross Island. He went inside his little storage room and came out with a black material and handed it almost reverently to Lina. She felt the cloth, amazed at how sturdy it felt, and yet... how light and soft... And scattered on one side of the cloth were ancient elfin runes.  
  
"Where did you get this cloth?" she asked with amazement, as her eyes read the runes.  
  
"From Mipross Island, miss." said the owner proudly. He could tell that the cloth had been special and could tell that the young lady really liked the cloth. "It was a special shipment for limited time only. Very special cloth. It's woven by the elves themselves. The design is made by hand also."  
  
"I'll take this one also," said Lina after reading the runes, a smile on her face after reading the runes.  
  
"A wonderful choice, miss..."  
  
"Oh, sorry. My name's Tirla. And could you make me a shoulder bag with this material also? About the size of this one." said Lina as she put away her shoulder guards and started to sketch a rough drawing of the cape. The storekeeper once again took some measurements and promised her that the clothes would be ready for the next day, along with her bag. After all, the design was in itself a very simple one. So with a smile, Tirla paid one fourth of the money and left with a smile on her face. Next stop, the library across town.  
  
As she walked, she wished that this town had magic transporter mechanisms. In Seerin, her neighbor had patented one and as a result, travel was so much faster. But oh well, life was life... not everybody could be as lucky as she was to live in Seerin.  
  
Once she reached the library, she asked the librarian where they kept the copies of scrolls with prophecies.  
  
"Sorry, miss," said the lady. "Only authorized personnel and Level 13 researchers and above are allowed in there."  
  
"But I am!" said Tirla. The librarian looked her over and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Sorry, miss," she said again. "But I'll need to see your identification." Tirla grumbled as she fished into her bag for her ID papers. She had passed the test in Seerin with flying colors, and was beyond a level 13 researchers.  
  
"Here it is," said Tirla as she drew out a small card. On the corner was a picture of a smiling Tirla, her fingers in a victory sign. It said her name, (Tirla Inverse), and degree she had gotten while during her two years in Seerin. Not only that, but it named the teachers who had tried her, naming many famous researchers and heads of institute. And at the bottom, it said, "This document doth prove that the Honorable Miss Tirla Celina Inverse, has obtained an official researchers degree from us, the International Guild of Sorcery and Research. She is now a main participant of the Sorcery Researchers Guild, location Seerin, and is entitled to teach sorcery as well as research." The librarian was shocked to say the least.  
  
"You can go in," she said as she absentmindedly gave back her papers. "Left corridor, second door to the right. Here's your pass." Lina smiled and thanked her as she put her papers away. She never liked showing her papers. They had written so much for her. Oh well, at least it let her research the scrolls and  
  
read the contract in peace.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos looked up from his job. It was beyond him why Zelas-san had wanted him to move all her wine casks around. But this could be so fun! He pointed towards a cask and moved it with his mind across the room to a little cart that had a few more barrels. These he then transported to another of Zelas's cellars. She had quite a few, all linked subterraneously. It was so extensive, that it took more space than the actual town. Xellos smiled and thought. Not for long though. All of a sudden, he found out that he couldn't move anymore.  
  
"What the..." he asked himself before he disappeared.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Lina was having a relatively fun time reading through the contract. It was very clear but also very detailed at the same time. On her notebook were a bunch of scrawled notes in her angular handwriting, designed to look like unreadable hieroglyphics to the untrained eye. (In other words, she had very bad penmanship...) Lina sighed and rubbed her eyes. Reading for so long all that tiny print really gave her a major headache. But she had to keep on. She knew what she was doing... now... to only concentrate... Her eyes dropped little by little, and her head nodded slightly. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake, but at the end, she lost the battle, and her eyes closed.  
  
She was jolted wide awake by a loud blast that sounded outside the room. She jumped up and ran to the window to see what was happening... she was surprised to see that the streets were all bright with flames. There were people screaming and running all over the place, trying to fight the fire or run away from it... She ran to her desk and stuffed all her papers into her bag and ran out the door. She caught the librarian who was running past her.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with worry.  
  
"I don't know!" said the librarian, waving her arms around, and definitely looking like anything except for the calm librarian she was supposed to be. "All of a sudden, there were bright flashes of light and fire filled the place!" With that, she broke away and ran for the door. Lina nodded grimly and cast a Diem Wing as she flew outside. Once on the street, she threw Freeze Arrows and water spells into the fire, trying to stifle it. Her watchful eyes were peeled for any innocent passerby caught in the fire.  
  
Out of the left corner of her eye, she saw a little girl on the roof of a house, holding on to a doll and crying her eyes out. Around her were bright orange flames that threatened to engulf her. Lina sprinted towards the girl, trying to get there in time. She thought she'd make it... until she realized that somebody had blocked her path to the little girl. That somebody was a tall youth, with jet black hair and quicksilver eyes. Malicious fangs could be seen coming out of his smirking mouth. He wore a pair of loose black pants and a black satin shirt. Over that was a silver vest and a silver sash was bound about his waist, were a sword blade was hung. The most amazing thing about him, though, was that he had a paid or silver furred ears coming from his head and a silver tail, like that of a fox. And he was floating in the air.  
  
"Well met, Ms. Inverse," he said with a smirk. "So nice to know that you could make it here, in time for your death!"  
  
"What?" asked Lina as she tried to get around him to reach the girl. "Darn it! Let me through!" she shouted. A ball of energy formed into her hands. "Fire Ball!!!" The other person nimbly floated out of the way.  
  
"Where was I?" asked the person again. But Lina's eyes were on the little girl. All of a sudden, she saw a slight bluish blur where the girl had been. She smiled as she saw Zelgadis land some meters from the house and put the girl down. She turned her attention back to the one talking to her.  
  
"Now, that I have more time,..." she started.  
  
"Yes," he interrupted. "As I was saying, my name is Megrim. And I'm one of the commanders under Madabar. My mission is quite simple. It would be quite nice of you if you and Mr. Zelgadis would come and quietly DIE!!!" With that, he launched two balls of silver flame, one at each one. Lina jumped out of the way and saw it hit the house behind her. Fortunately, no one was there at the present moment. The house erupted immediately into flames.  
  
"Hey watch where you throw those things!" shouted Lina as her arms formed a Flare Arrow and let go. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, since it was always nice to know why people wanted you dead. Zelgadis took his sword and ran an Astral Vine through it. He ran towards Megrim and through a Digger Bolt at him. Calculating where he would move to, Zel blurred and nicked of part of the other's hair. Megrim ducked a second later, just to get hit in the face by the Freeze Arrow Lina had thrown to follow up her Flare Arrow. Zelgadis flipped in the air and landed beside Lina. After the smoke cleared, they saw Megrim coughing as he stood up.  
  
"You two are a good team..." he said slowly as he coughed. He reached into a pocket in his pants and took out a scroll.  
  
"If you want to see that friend of yours... what's his name? Xellos... before he dies, I would advise you to go here in one week. Remember, don't play with us, Inverse. One false move and Seerin is next." With that, he disappeared after tossing to her the scroll. Lina looked at it numbly and picked it up. Her eyes were devoid of expression. Thoughts swirled through her tired brain as the fires raged on around her. With a start, she realized that there was still work to be done and for a few seconds, some light flickered in her dampened eyes.  
  
"Come on, Zel." she said. "We've got work to do. Let's put out the fire."  
  
"Are you OK?, Lina?" asked Zel as he took a hold of her shoulder. Her eyes stared at the horizon, as her arms robotically did the incantations for the water spells.  
  
"I'll be fine." she said, her eyes glimmering like bloody diamonds. Someone was going to suffer for this. And they had better leave Seerin alone, or else...  
  
Later that afternoon, the two finally met at Zelas's house. Fortunately for them, the fire hadn't reached all the parts of the town, and had just burned downtown part. Lina wiped her face with her hand, trying to dry the sweat of her face as the dust and ashes stuck to her. Her hair was a mess and her face was full of ash smudges. Her white coat had turned black from all the soot. Zelgadis didn't have to worry about his hair, but his clothes were drenched from perspiration, and weren't the spotless beige they usually were.  
  
"Hey, Lina said Zel.  
  
"Yeah, Zel?"  
  
"Do you know where the Beastmaster is?"  
  
"I could care less," she said, tired and cross and just plain impatient. "Ill worry about it later. For now, all I want is a shower and some fresh clothes. I'll deal with her later." With that, she entered the house with a tired step in her walk, her shoulders drooping. It was sort of ironic, thought Zel. Zelas's house looked so neat and perfect, so unlike its surroundings, so unlike the house owner...  
  
*****  
  
They sat down together for supper. Just the two of them, for no one else was in the house. It was almost romantic, what with candles and rich china, except for the fact that their faces were serious, and they were busily concentrating on eating. Zel had the pot of coffee next to him, but Lina had most of the dishes near her. As it was, she wasn't eating much, and Zel was worried. It was silent, before Zel decided that he had to break the silence, or suffocate in it.  
  
"So, Lina," he said. He took a sip of coffee. It was almond and vanilla. "Did you find Zelas?"  
  
"No," she said. She stared at a piece of meat cleaved on her fork. "I found a note for us on my door. Said she went out with Xellos to take care of a few things. No mention of when she'd be back."  
  
"OK," said Zel. "Sounds suspicious."  
  
"Very," said Lina. "By the way, Zel... where were you this morning?"  
  
"I went out to buy provisions and supplies for the horses. Tried to go to the library to see scrolls, but the librarian wouldn't let me." said Zel calmly. I was in a store when I felt strong magic on the other part of town. I ran as quick as I could. I'm supposed to pick the supplies tomorrow. How was your day?"  
  
"It was fine," said Lina "I did some shopping. I'll pick up my things tomorrow. Then I went to the library." Quiet again. Zel took another sip of his coffee. It was really quite good.  
  
"Lina?" asked Zel.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What did the note say?" More silence.  
  
"It has directions to go to Wolf Pack Island." said Lina, her eyes focusing on an unknown object in the distance. "We have one week. Or else, their next target will be Seerin." Zel tried to control his anger. Those.... those.... he wouldn't think about it. But something had to bed one!  
  
"I'm not letting that happen," continued Lina, her hand gripping her fork tightly. "Never..."  
  
"You've got my back up." said Zel. "I don't fancy seeing the people there hurt."  
  
"Then it's settled!" said Lina, fire flickering for three seconds in her eyes. "We'll leave for Seerin tomorrow to warn them. Then, we'll fly to Wolf Pack Island and see if they really have Xellos with them." Zel nodded.  
  
*****  
  
That night after supper, Lina dreamt. She was in the exact same field as before. But this time, there was a road in front of her made of yellow topazes. Lina walked along it. Soon, a huge tent came into view. It was a type of circus tent, made of different patches of cloth. There were all green though, albeit, each one was a different shade. A forest green one here, attached to an olive green, next to a fluorescent one. It was quite a sight. Lina could hear some partying going on inside. She gripped tightly her bag that had appeared with her, carrying all her notes and the contract. She burst into the circus tent, and found herself in a small room. There was a fireplace on one wall, and a desk made of dark mahogany wood. There was a figure sitting in the chair. Lina recognized the magic signature.  
  
"Greetings, Lord of Nightmares," she said as she sat down on the chair opposite of the LoN. Lord of Nightmares looked up. She had changed again. Golden eyes stared at her behind golden bangs. Her pale skin formed a bright contrast against the midnight black clothes she wore.  
  
"Greetings, favored on of Chaos." she said solemnly. "May I have your answer?"  
  
"I have a few questions." said Lina. LoN nodded. "How long will I expect to live?"  
  
"For a long time." said LoN simply.  
  
"What will I be allowed to do?" asked Lina.  
  
"You will be able to ensure the safety of your loved ones to a certain extent." said LoN. "I say certain extent, for chaos cannot be predicted."  
  
"Will I see my friends die?" asked Lina bluntly.  
  
"Die, depends what you mean by that, or how you mean it." answered the deity. "If you mean, murdered by your hands because of my orders...not likely. Die in the battle you are about to fight against, there is a possibility. Or die of old age before you die of old age.... quite likely, if they survive what is coming." Lina nodded. She took out a sheaf of papers called a book from inside her bag.  
  
"Do you have a quill?" she asked. One appeared beside her hand. "Thank you." She dipped it into the ink and lifted it up. Her eyes focused on the tip. Her mind flew as she imagined all her friends, smiling and happy. She would make sure they would stay that way.  
  
'Xellos, Zelgadis, all of you.... this... I do for you.' Her eyes followed her pen as she touched the end to the paper. Black lines followed the movement of her pen, as the ink flew smoothly.  
  
I, Tirla Celina Inverse, do pledge myself to Chaos, and accept the title and rank of Chaos Knight, under the guidance of the Lord of Nightmares. Signed: T. Lina Inverse.  
  
So quick, so short, yet anything but trivial.  
  
"Here you go," said Lina as she looked up. To her surprise, she saw tears falling from LoN's eyes.  
  
"Thank you, favored one among the mortals," said girl dressed in gold and black. "I know how much that meant to you, the giving up of everything into Chaos's hands. I will do my best, to be worthy of your following." Lina blinked back her tears.  
  
"And likewise, Lord of Nightmares." she said.  
  
"Swearing in will be in five days." said the deity as she stood up, papers in hand. "Until then, Child  
  
of Chaos, farewell." And Lina bowed slightly to her before the dream world disappeared and sank into a state of rest and comfort, known as sleep.  
  
The next day, both of them packed up their belongings. Zel picked up his things, Lina picked up her clothes and put them on. She looked at herself in the mirror. Lina Inverse was back. She took the black band she usually wore, magic imbued into it, and put it on her forehead, covering the diamond shaped mark of Chaos. No wonder Luna kept her bangs down. They hid the mark quite well.  
  
The two got on their horses and left town, making a beeline for Seerin. First part of their mission, would be to warn the villagers.  
  
End of chapter 6  
  
Author's notes...  
  
Greetings to all of you! Here's the next installment of Slayers: to the End... hope you all enjoyed it, although it was considerably darker than the other chapters. Thank you for all of your comments. It was very fun talking to some of you on the MSN!!! Thank you also for all your encouragement! They lift me up so much! So, I decided to start adding the seriousness into the mix. But don't worry, I love humor too much to not put it in!  
  
Jeje... sorry it took so long for the chapter to come out... I've been drowning in homework again. (You would think I'd learn how to swim in homework...)  
  
Once again, thank you to all of you faithful readers! Comments and Criticisms extremely welcome!!! (so are reviews!)  
  
Until next time!!!  
  
Hotaru  
  
Otherwise known as the....*drumroll, please*  
  
Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
(SCOG looks really weird...)  
  
PS...Um...sorry...I...jeje...burnt all the cookies... *sniff, sniff* ^.^;; 


	7. Conversations and Invitations...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
You know, I never found out who invented Slayers, cause I'm so amazingly lazy. But I don't mean anything against them. So... hurray for them, cause Slayers's is an awesome series. BTW, in case you haven't noticed, I'm implying that I don't own Slayers...  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Conversations and Invitations...(Version 7.1)  
  
[Somewhere in the world, although it's not really the world, since they aren't on earth, but it sort of is, cause they are there...]  
  
Fate and Chaos were having tea. That in itself wasn't very abnormal or out of the norm. They had tea together every other day. Sometimes, Death would also join them, but today, it was just the two of them. They were having biscuits with raspberry preserves, and were sitting across from each other across a metal table, that floated in mid air. Chaos was represented as a tall slim lady with blonde hair and jet black eyes. Fate was represented by a slightly shorter lady (but just as slim) with curly blue hair and purple eyes, and elfin ears. That wasn't abnormal either. What was abnormal, was how Fate was reacting.  
  
"You told her WHAT???!!!???!!!" shouted Fate.  
  
"Hehe... I already told you." said Chaos timidly.  
  
"Repeat it..." said Fate dangerously.  
  
"I told her she'd find her true love..." said Chaos. "Is there anything wrong with that?"  
  
"In this case, yes," said Fate. "Why won't you ever consult with me before making such an important decision?"  
  
"I'm Chaos, what do you expect?" answered the taller one. "And is it really that important?"  
  
"Yes," said Fate as she calmed down. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "You know, I bet you do all of this just to annoy me, right?"  
  
"Such are the ways of Chaos," said Chaos mysteriously, her eyes flickering with unknown secrets.  
  
"Oh, just shut up," said Fate as she took a sip of tea. "OK, so, do you know who the heck is her true love?"  
  
"I thought you'd know." said Chaos. Fate stared at her. "You mean you don't?" Fate stared at her some more.  
  
"What do you think?" she said after a while.  
  
"Oh... haha!" mock laughed Chaos.  
  
"So, what were you planning to do if, hypothetically speaking, I knew who her true love was?" asked Fate.  
  
"Simple." said Chaos. "If he has potential, turn him into my other Chaos Knight. I do get two, don't I, for being special?"  
  
"Yes, you can say it that way," said Fate with a sigh. Chaos could be so childish at times.  
  
"Could you let me call him?" asked Chaos. "Please?" So like a child.  
  
"What if I say no?" asked Fate.  
  
"You wouldn't," said Chaos. "You're too much of a romantic to say no. Besides, you owe me a favor!" Fate sighed. Beaten by a child, how humiliating.  
  
"Anyway, what else did you tell her?" asked Fate.  
  
"I told her she'd be able to find a cure for Zelgadis and Xellos's curse." said Chaos.  
  
"YOU SAID WHAT???" screamed Fate. Chaos quickly covered her ears. "HOW COULD YOU MAKE UP SUCH A LIE AS THAT????" Chaos unplugged her ears.  
  
"Ouch," she said. Fate took a few more calming breaths.  
  
"How?" asked Fate.  
  
"But, you see... I know something you don't know." said Chaos in a sing song voice, and giggled  
  
happily, as little childish girls often do.  
  
*****  
  
[Somewhere in Seyruun]  
  
"Did you hear?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"Did you read the newspapers?"  
  
"B. Times?"  
  
"Yeah, Bandit Times."  
  
"No. What happened?"  
  
"You remember that Dramatta? Kicked the bucket two years ago?"  
  
"Don't even say her name, pal. We're all lucky she died off."  
  
"That's the thing. Rumor has it, she's alive and killing bandits again."  
  
"WHAT? Lina Inverse, alive?"  
  
"Sh... don't say her name."  
  
"We're doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed."  
  
And as it was, Lina Inverse's fame spread quickly before her, but only on the bandit level. The rest of the world was just slow and news of Lina traveled at a snail with arthritis's pace. But soon, everyone would know. Soon... very soon...  
  
*****  
  
"Lina, may I ask you a question?" asked Zelgadis as he watched her Burst Rondo the bandit before her.  
  
"Shoot, Zel." said Lina as she waved good bye to another bandit.  
  
"Why are you going by Lina now?" asked Zel. It was the second day since they had left town to go to Seerin. On the first day, she had quietly bashed bandits, but today, she had seemed to gone crazy and identified herself as Lina.  
  
"Oh," said Lina as she got on her horse. Zel handed her the reins. "I just felt like it. I decided that it was about time I went out of hiding. Face the world head on... all that type of stuff."  
  
"Oh, OK." said Zel as once again they started to gallop. Lina thought for a while, thinking back on the dream she had last night...  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
  
Lina stared at the enemy before her. Turquoise colored eyes stared back. All of a sudden, she moved forward, catching the enemy by surprise, and shot a fire ball at it. The shadow jumped out of the way at the last minute, but couldn't evade the Balus Rod she threw right after at a different angle. She could just taste victory in her mouth. Now for the finishing blow. She launched a hit at him, only to have him disappear and fade away when she connected, which meant that she went flying through. She landed face first on a trampoline the color of vanilla.  
  
"Ouch," she said, not because it hurt, but because it just seemed like the right thing to say at that particular time. She stayed face down on the trampoline for a while, until she felt someone jumping up and down right beside her. She looked up and saw Queen Chaos Amph jumping up and down.  
  
"Hello, Knight of Chaos!!!" said the little girl in a voice that could only be described as 'chirpy'.  
  
"How do you do, Queen Amph," said Lina, remembering the other's name. "May I ask why I'm here?"  
  
"Hi!" she said. "Don't you want to jump with me?" Lina sighed and got up and started to jump up and down. Suddenly, she realized that this was a very nice way to get rid of anxiety and worries, by pounding them into the trampoline! So she jumped harder and harder on the stretchy cloth, and ended up going higher and higher. Her eyes turned fiery (more so than before) and sparks emitted from a glowing aura that had gathered around her. Queen Amph looked at her and sweat dropped, while keeping a hand up all the time to keep her tiara from slipping off her head.  
  
"Hey, Lina," she said. "I think it's about time we left the trampoline. But Lina didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. So Queen Amph (also LoN, just in case you didn't catch that...^.^) snapped her fingers and froze Lina in mid jump.  
  
"Huh?" asked Lina as she saw herself floating in mid air. "What happened?"  
  
"I have to talk to you," said LoN. "Things we didn't discuss yesterday. What are you planning on doing?"  
  
"I'm planning to take up my former identity and warn all my friends in Seerin to watch out for any of those weird people." said Lina plainly.  
  
"Sounds good," said the golden haired girl as she floated up and was beside her. "What else?"  
  
"Find out what happened to Zelas and Xellos." she continued.  
  
"Good," said the little Queen as she nodded her head seriously, still holding her crown. "What else?"  
  
"Um... Dragon Slave the people who kidnapped Xellos into next week?" asked Lina not quite  
  
sure.  
  
"Perhaps." said Queen Amph. "Would you like to know the love of your life now? Or should I save it for later?"  
  
"No time for romance now," said Lina as she waved her hand in a dismissing manner. "I have things to do, people to save..."  
  
"Oh... OK," said the girl. "Opening ceremony is in four days from today. Invitations will be going out. Who do you want to receive one?"  
  
"I'm allowed to invite people?" asked Lina surprised.  
  
"Yes," said the queen. "Of course, after all, being knighted is a very special occasion. Of course, your sister didn't want to invite anyone..."  
  
"Um... well, I guess it'd be nice for the gang to be there... and Rhea's family too" said Lina  
  
"OK, that's Amelia, Gourry, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Sylphiel, and Naga? And Rhea, Riza, Rowan and their parents?" asked the Queen while she scribbled on a notebook that appeared from nowhere.  
  
"Yeah," said Lina. "I guess that's it."  
  
"O.K.," said LoN. "Next order of business. Zel's cure..."  
  
"Yeah, about that," said Lina.  
  
"Well, as soon as you have your powers, you'll be able to incant his cure, because you'll have the power to. There's a catch, though."  
  
"Yes?" asked Lina.  
  
"You need someone else to do it with." said the deity. "Like, another Knight of Chaos."  
  
"And, um... where am I supposed to find another Knight of Chaos?" asked Lina skeptically. LoN smiled secretly.  
  
"Wait the four days. I'm pretty sure I'll find another one for you by then. But when you do, you'll be able to turn him back human, and turn him back chimera if Zel wants it, so long as the two knights and the one worked on concede." said LoN with a glint in her eyes.  
  
"Sure!" said Lina. "Whatever. Truth be told, that's not on my high priority list at the moment."  
  
"Next is Xellos's cure." said the girl. She slowly brought both of them down on to a green couch.  
  
"May I know what his curse is?" asked Lina.  
  
"You will know in four days." said LoN.  
  
"Then why bring it up?" asked Lina. "Just to make sure. He's not going to die from it or something, right?"  
  
"No, he won't die from it." said the being. This was so fun! If only Lina knew what surprises lay hidden for her. "For this curse, only you will be able to cure him from it. But, as usual, there's a catch. You have to find out what it is."  
  
"Blah," said Lina as she snapped her fingers. "And Xellos probably won't tell me, right?"  
  
"He doesn't even know," Amph smiled. Lina raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh well," she said. "I'll figure that out also. Now..."  
  
"Now, here is the manual for your new magic!" said the queen with a smile. She brought out a child's coloring book.  
  
"That?"  
  
"No, um... jeje... oops..." said the child as she hid the book and brought out another one. This one was thicker, and had a rich chocolate brown leather cover with a gold design embossed on it. The pages were gold edged, and gave it an aura of sophistication and antiquity. It was very nice. And written in very nice handwriting. Unfortunately, she couldn't read it.  
  
"So, how am I supposed to read this?" asked Lina, with sarcasm in her voice.  
  
"Well," said LoN. "It's quite simple. You learn! Every time you need to send me a note, send it like this, so nobody can read it. You'll get the hang of the language. Every once in a while, the characters will change, but such is the nature of Chaos. You'll be fine." Lina took the book.  
  
"Anything else?" asked LoN. "Your dream time is nearly over, you know."  
  
"One more thing," said Lina. "Can I tell people that I'm your knight now?"  
  
"Sure, no problem!" said the girl and snapped her fingers. Lina found herself in her room, having just woken up from her dream.  
  
[END OF FLASHBACK]  
  
"Hey, Zel?" asked Lina when they had stopped for a break for their horses. Zel was resting against a tree while keeping an eye on the horses who were taking a drink at a nearby brook.  
  
"Yeah, Lina?" asked Zel. The afternoon was very peaceful, and even though they had encountered a few bandits here and there, they had covered good ground so far. A few more minutes, and they would be on their way to Seerin once again.  
  
"I have news for you. I think you'll be happy." said Lina.  
  
"Really?" asked Zel.  
  
"Yeah, let me think of how I can word it..." said Lina. Zel looked at her curiously. He had no idea what it could be. Lina walked around the tree as she thought. She suddenly stopped in front of Zel.  
  
"You're invited to my swearing in as Knight of Chaos in a few days in Dreamland." said Lina. "And if lucky, with another Knight, we'll fix your Chimera problem. See, I told you that all that research would pay off!" Zel froze. First of all, Lina as the Knight of Chaos? The end of the world was coming. Next of all, a cure, for him! A real cure, that Lina had. Not Xellos, who might be lying, or a complete stranger he couldn't trust, but Lina, his traveling companion.  
  
"Really!?" asked Zel, fighting hard to keep his voice emotion less, well, at least not sound too hopeful. He didn't quite succeed.  
  
"Yeah," said Lina. "Congratulations, Zel!" she said as she stuck out her hand to him. He shook it. But then couldn't help himself and hugged her.  
  
"Thank you Lina," he said and let her go. Then he got serious. "But, did you have to become Knight to do it?"  
  
"Yes," she said with a sad smile.  
  
"You do understand its implications, right?" asked Zel. Lina nodded and tried to blink back her tears. And Zel felt his happiness dissipate. "I'm...I'm sorry, Lina," he said. "I never wanted this to happen to you." It was enough that Lina had a special affinity with the Lord of Nightmares, but she had been scared spitless of that affinity. After the Phibrizio encounter, Lina had been worried about LoN. Who wouldn't. LoN, so chaotic, so dangerous, and now, Lina trapped with her.  
  
"Is there some way to reverse it?" asked Zel. Lina looked shocked.  
  
"No," she said. "It was an oath. Besides, if I weren't Knight, how would I help you turn back into a human?"  
  
"I never meant for you to have to live almost an eternity as Knight of Chaos, Lina," said Zel seriously. "Believe me, if I could find some way to reverse your decision, I would do it. My cure is important, but not enough to condemn you."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Zel," said Lina with a smile. "I thought carefully about it. And well, the Lord of Nightmares isn't as imposing as I thought she was." 'Especially considering she usually looks like an eight year old girl' she thought to herself with amusement.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Zel.  
  
"Very," said Lina. "Now, let's go. It's time to get moving." Zel stood up and whistled to call the horses.  
  
"By the way," said Zel. "As Knight of Chaos. Can't you teleport?"  
  
"I'd try, but the manual said that unless Chaos wanted me there, it might not always work. It's... no joke intended... chaotic in its manner of transportation. I have to learn a little more first."  
  
"OK," said Zel. "Let's go." And so, the two riders kept on their journey. A little farther down the road...  
  
"Lina," whispered Zel as they walked their horses so that they wouldn't get exhausted.  
  
"Yeah, Zel?" asked Lina just as quietly.  
  
"Don't look behind us, but there is a huge alligator running after us." said Zel seriously, not quite sure how to take it.  
  
"A What?" asked Lina, her voice raising a few decibels. Zel shushed her.  
  
"Do you have any idea why an alligator is following us?" asked Zel. Lina was about to say no, when she decided to think for a while. She stopped her horse and had it turn around. Zel tried to stop her, but oh well... Lina looked at the huge alligator running to her.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Melfynusti?" she asked softly, just in case she was wrong. Small chance of that, though... there was only one alligator/crocodile she knew that was that huge.  
  
"Greetings, Inverse," said Melfy as he stopped in front of her.  
  
"Is there something I can help you with?" asked Lina nervously. Behind her, Zel stared at the  
  
alligator.  
  
"Hey, Lina," he started. "Is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
"Oh, Zel, this is Melfynusti. Mr. Melfynusti, this is my friend Zel." said Lina.  
  
"Oh, how do you do?" asked Zel, his calm returned. After all, if Lina wasn't worried, then he had no reason to worry either. Besides, it seemed as if they knew each other.  
  
"Nice to meet you," said the alligator before looking at Lina. "Inverse, I have a request to make of you."  
  
"How can I help you?" asked Lina, watching all her manners.  
  
"I would go with you and see what happened to Zelas and Xellos." said Melfy.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Lina. She wasn't exactly sure of what she should do. After all, he was a Mazoku, but then again, he wasn't a normal Mazoku either... "May I ask the reason why?"  
  
"No, you may not," said Melfy coolly. Lina thought about it for a while.  
  
"Sure, but on one condition." said Lina. "You can't attack me or my friends."  
  
"Mazoku's honor," said Melfy solemnly. "I don't mean it in an oxymoron type of way." Lina nodded.  
  
"Um... do you have a human form or something?" she asked. Melfy nodded and transformed before the two of them. In the place of the huge animal, was a man that looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s. He had gray silver hair and flat gray eyes. His complexion was light, like Xellos's, and was garbed in a splendid lightning blue cape with silver trim. His shirt and pants were both sea green, with a silver sash at his waist. His hair was long, reaching to his waist and was tied into a long braid. He carried a long pike made of a bluish colored material that gleamed in the afternoon light.  
  
"You're, Melfynusti?" asked Lina, surprised. She hadn't expected to Mazoku to look so...so... so, distinguished or regal, almost. Zel was also surprised.  
  
"Yes, I am him," said the alligator turned man. "But please, do call me Melf, instead of Melfynusti. I don't know what Zelas was thinking of when she called me Melfynusti."  
  
"Sure, Melf," said Lina hesitantly. "Um, let's go." Melf muttered a spell under his breath and began to float. The horses didn't even blink an eye, they were so used to things flying near them, like robbers and bandits. One more couldn't matter much.  
  
"Yes, let's be on our way," he said, as serious as usual. And the three continued on their journey. The second day was over.  
  
*****  
  
It was the third day after Lina had left for Seerin. By now, all the bandits knew Lina Inverse, the Dramatta, Bandit Spooker, Dragon Slayer, and Bane of all Restaurants was back. Amelia read the newspapers. She was in a city near the edge of what used to be the shield and was starting an embassy for Seyruun in there. So far everything had gone fine. Gourry had gone out to buy supplies for their trip back to Seyruun, so that she could report. But the newspaper was very surprising to say the least. The headlines said, "LINA INVERSE, Alive once more?"  
  
'Lina?' wondered Amelia. 'The things these people will make up. Lina died years ago...' She wiped a tear from her eyes. Lina, that brave and fiery sorceress; It wasn't fair that someone with such vitality and life would die so early in life. She read through the article, though, quite curious as to the contents.  
  
'Let's see... seen traveling with one man, some others say two men,... knows magic.... hasn't used her trademark magic though, like the Dragon Slave... people say she's traveling to the east...' Amelia smiled as she put the newspaper down. Some people were just so willing to write anything to get a scandalous response from the people. And Amelia smiled, and packed her bags. Gourry would be back soon and they would go to Seyruun.  
  
*****  
  
Gourry decided to have a snack. He was very hungry. After all, buying so much food for their journey had sparked his appetite. He spied a little outdoor cafe. He decided to go there and have a little snack. After eating three chocolate parfaits, five chocolate and strawberry covered bananas and a milkshake of strawberries and bananas, he noticed the newspaper. The headlines...  
  
"LINA INVERSE, Alive once more?" he read softly. "Lina, alive?" his voice was hopeful. Could they be talking about the same Lina he knew? The one who died two years ago? He had to tell Amelia! He grabbed the newspaper, the packs of food, left money for the bill and ran to the little hotel they were staying at.  
  
*****  
  
Amelia looked at the two notes in her hands. One was addressed to Gourry Gabriev. The other was to her, and it was written in black, fancy handwriting. She set down Gourry's and shakily opened her letter up. A little frog had appeared out of nowhere with the two letters, had set them on her hands and then disappeared without a trace. She unfolded the letter.  
  
"To her highness, Princess Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun:  
  
You have been invited to Ms. Tirla Celina Inverse's swearing in as official Knight of Chaos in three days. You will be immediately transported to the Dreamrealm at the correct time. Please by asleep in three days at midnight so as to not miss such a momentous occasion. Thank you. Queen Chaos Amph (The Lord on Nightmares)" And Amelia stared and stared at the letter in her hand, her face pale as vanilla ice-cream.  
  
*****  
  
In another town...  
  
Filia smiled at the pieces of pottery. She had spent forever on them, and now, after firing them in the kiln, they looked perfect like all her other creations. She picked one up, since it had cooled already. This one was a vase with handles in the shape of fleur-de-lis. It had a slender neck and the rim was designed in such a way that it looked like flowers. The whole vase had a feeling of springtime in it. The other one, was a small bowl with stars and moons designed all over it in relief. Both were beautiful. The customer was sure to like them. Now, to add the color. She put the two down and turned to her cabinet with varnishes and was about to get a Prussian blue color, when a little frog with little gold wings appeared in front of her. She screamed. The frog blinked back and dropped a letter on her hand and disappeared.  
  
"What was that?" she asked herself as she sat down with the letter in her hands. It was addressed to her, Filia Ul Copt. She brushed her golden hair aside and read the letter inside.  
  
"Nani?" she exclaimed. "LINA INVERSE!!!???"  
  
*****  
  
Sylphiel looked at the little frog in front of her. She pointed her wand at it.  
  
"I'm warning you," said Sylphiel as sternly as she could. "Stay back!"  
  
"Ribbit?" croaked the little frog before it dropped a letter on the ground and then left calmly behind a few rocks. Sylphiel sighed. All was well. She didn't really want to kill the poor little frog, but sometimes, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. She approached the letter carefully. It was addressed to her! What an intelligent little frog! She read the note and fainted. The frog peaked from behind the rocks and sweat dropped before disappearing.  
  
*****  
  
Rhea looked at the letter in her hands.  
  
"Mom, Dad, Riza, Rowan! Look!" she cried as she ran to them. "It's about Ms. Tirla!"  
  
*****  
  
Zelgadis rode along beside Lina and the flying Melf.  
  
"Yo, Lina," he said.  
  
"Yes?" asked Lina.  
  
"I take it the invitations are out?" he asked as he waved a note to Lina. Lina read it and smiled  
  
lightly.  
  
"I guess so," she said. In the distance, the town of Seerin came in view. She smiled lightly. She'd  
  
get to see her students soon.  
  
*****  
  
And in some unknown place, Xellos was sleeping fitfully. The past two days had been very tiring for him. Finally, he was able to sleep, and what happens? The Lord of Nightmares calls on you, what else?  
  
"So, Xellos," said the little girl with golden hair. "I have a mission for you. Are you willing to accept?" And Xellos stared.  
  
"Lord of Nightmares?" he asked. She nodded. Hastily, he kneeled, showing respect and reverence to the deity. What in the world was going on?  
  
Author's notes...  
  
Finally, this chapter is finished!! Yeah!! Hurray!! Hope you liked it! This chapter was fun to write!! Anyway, the next chapter will be about Xellos. And to Chibi_Tenshin, sorry, no romantic scenes yet. I promise, they will be out. Remember, this is first of all an adventure, second a humor fic, third a romance. So yeah, I'm working on the next chapter. Have fun! You guys are awesome!!! I'm so glad you guys like it and are reading it! Thank you!!!! Please Read and Review. Comments and Criticisms are extremely welcome also!!!  
  
Sincerely, Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
PS, I have a question for you all... What does Shakespeare's epitaph say?  
  
PPS, Yeah, I know it's a weird question... but oh well. Do any of you know? If you do, please e-mail me or drop me a note! Thanx!!!  
  
Quote  
  
"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."  
  
-Poor Richard's Almanack 


	8. Purple and Gold Dreams...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By H. Kimiko Lai  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
There is a time, when one learns to grow up and let go of childish fantasies. Fortunately, it's not my time yet!!! Yeah!!! But oh well, I'll give this responsibility thing a try. I don't own Slayers... Gosh that was hard! (^.^)  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Purple and Gold Dreams...(Version 8.1)  
  
Xellos looked at the girl in front of him from his position on the ground. It was very weird. That was... L-sama? But she looked very... very... young. To say the least. He was probably hallucinating. He was so tired.  
  
She had her gold hair put up in a ponytail and was wearing a cute black dress with gold thread design of ambiguous shapes on the hem. And a gold sash around her little waist. And black shiny dress shoes with gold butterfly buckles. She was also holding a yellow helium filled balloon and was holding a lemon lollipop in the other.  
  
"You can get up now, Xellos," she said. Such a cheerful voice. He winced slightly and stood up.  
  
"How can I help you?" asked Xellos reverently.  
  
"You can drop formalities, you know," said L-sama. "By the way, I'm Queen Chaos Amph, ruler of the Amphibians!"  
  
"Wow," said Xellos, trying to act impressed but not quite succeeding. The areas around his eyes were dark and tired.  
  
"Anyway, do you want the job?" she asked again. Her eyes shone. "Pretty please, say yes? Say you'll be my Knight of Chaos???"  
  
"What do I have to do?" he asked. The girl smiled.  
  
"I would say, 'Sore wa himitsu desu,'" she started. "But I'm not that mean..." Xellos grinned slightly. He started to feel better. The impudence of the girl was so amusing. After all, she looked anything but imposing. "Well, you'll get tons of new magic to play around with, and get stronger, and you can play the biggest practical joke on the world! Um... side benefits... um... well, you can choose your own uniform... what else... well,... oh, and I won't force you to kill your friends... find the love of your life,... sound good?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," said Xellos, a little astounded. Him, as Knight of Chaos? But, he was Zelas's General and Priest. He told the deity that.  
  
"That doesn't matter," said the queen. "There's a clause in that contract that my wishes over ride her contract. So if you want to be my Knight, you won't have to worry about her. They never mentioned it to you, 'cause they never thought you'd be asked to join my party!"  
  
"Oh, OK," said Xellos.  
  
"So, what do you say?" asked the girl again.  
  
"Um... I'm not exactly ready to answer that," said Xellos hesitantly, not really wanting to anger the chibi Lord of Nightmares.  
  
"Oh, I understand!" she said as she nodded seriously. "Such things should not be taken lightly." Xellos raised an eyebrow at the girls attire. She blushed. "I'm going to a tea party." she said to defend herself.  
  
"Anyway," she continued. "Here's the full contract. Have fun reading it! You'll have until tomorrow at night to read it and answer me!" A book floated into his hands. It was thick, had a gold seal and had a leather cover. It was very thick. How was he going to be able to read such a huge thing?  
  
"If I'm still alive by then," whispered Xellos under his breath as he put his book into his cape space. The girl heard it. She had very acute hearing, you see.  
  
"Oh, yeah," she said, as if she had forgotten it since it was so trivial and of so little importance. "You are captured. What did you do anyway?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said with a grin. He wasn't planning on telling her. Of course, she probably knew already. But that wasn't the point. It was a matter of pride and honor, even though he was a Mazoku. OK, not a whole Mazoku, but that was beside the point.  
  
"Well," said the girl. "If you don't feel like telling me, oh well... But I'll help you anyway." With a smile, she muttered a short spell and held out her hands. A glowing bubble of energy appeared from her hands and floated softly towards Xellos. It popped on top of him and flooded him with a mirage of silvers and light blues. Xellos immediately felt refreshed. It felt as if a cool breeze had come over him and as if a waterfall of fresh spring water was bathing him. It felt, quite nice...  
  
"Thank you," he said, after the light show was over. She smiled warmly.  
  
"You're welcome. You'll be able to resist his attacks. Hang in there. And by the way, no talking about this to anyone, or the contract becomes null and void. Page 12, last paragraph, last sentence." she said simply before vanishing from his sight. Xellos found a note on he floor.  
  
"You can rest here if you want. As soon as you're ready to wake up, hit the wake button to your right. Queen Chaos Amph" And sure enough, there was a orange button with a sticker saying WAKE. He looked around him. A very comfy looking chair appeared, along with a tray of snacks floating beside it. Xellos actually smiled. The Lord of Nightmares had a very good sense of humor as well as a very scary name, but she was nice also.  
  
Xellos woke up. He felt better, which was good. He felt, almost brand new. Like as if he had taken a long rest. LoN had really done him a favor by healing him. It was better than any restore spell he had ever seen. He saw the book in his hands and hid it. He was still in his cell, though. Now, what in the world was happening? He started to think, his eyes staring off into the middle of nowhere.  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
  
"Xellos," said Beastmaster.  
  
"Yes?" asked Xellos. He was slightly surprised to see her up.  
  
"I want you to move my caskets of wine from beneath the house to bodega #328." she said. Xellos nodded.  
  
"Anything else, Juuo-sama?" he asked.  
  
"No, that will be all." she said.  
  
"Pardon my question," started Xellos. "But shouldn't you be laying down and recuperating?"  
  
"I feel better. And I don't like being cooped up." she answered. He nodded and went to work. There were many caskets of wine under her house. It was fun to move them around, but now, he was just bored and wanted the job to be over as quickly as he could. So, he rolled the barrels by, one by one, magically onto a little cart, which joined a line of carts that were being wheeled automatically by him to cellar #328. He was letting his mind wander when he felt a familiar presence. But before he could comment on it, he felt himself freeze. Xellos tried to move, but found himself bound, right before disappearing from the room.  
  
When he woke up, he had a pounding head ache and found himself tied to a chair. A nice strong metal chair. He smiled and tried to get out by using magic. His smile faded as he heard a deep laugh and felt his magic drain from his hands. Where in the world was his staff?  
  
"I don't think you'll be able to get loose that way," said a young man with dark black hair and silver fox-type ears. He had eyes the color of quicksilver. He was dressed in black, from head to toe, except for his silver vest and sash around his waist that held a long sword. A tail swished from behind him, also silver colored. And he held his staff in his hands. Which was weird, only he could carry it. Zelas had given it to him, and was tuned only to himself. "Sorry, Trickster Priest. The ropes and metal are anti-magic. All the magic you use will be absorbed into the ropes, and will reinforce their strength. I wouldn't struggle if I were you." Xellos looked at him.  
  
"Good morning, what do you want?" he asked, as normally as he could and with a small smile on his face. For some reason, he found it funny and started to laugh again.  
  
"Xellos, Xellos, Xellos," he said in an almost pitying fashion. Xellos seethed inwardly. "You are so naive, yet you are Zelas's Chief Priest and General? How hard the mighty have fallen!" Xellos refrained from saying anything biting. His eyes opened, and his slitted eyes glared at him.  
  
"I will ask you again," he said dangerously. "What do you want with me?"  
  
"Oh, so finally, we are getting a little serious, aren't we?" he asked, fangs gleaming from his lips. "Finally, the Priest shows his true colors." Xellos waited for an answer to his question. "Well, if you really must know, Sore wa himitsu desu!" And with that, he disappeared from sight, his laugh echoing against the stone walls of the room. And Xellos cursed and tried to think of a way to escape.  
  
He had come back again. Said his name was Megrim Xerxes. Didn't tell him a thing though. He had never even heard of him, yet Xerxes seemed to know almost everything about him.  
  
"So, planning on telling me now, why you have me captured and tied up?" asked Xellos. They were sitting across a table, but Xellos was still tied up.  
  
"Probably not," said Megrim. Everything seemed to be going well, until that night...  
  
"What do you want now?" asked Xellos, acting bored. Which he was. After all, being tied to a chair all day that was anti magic and talking to an idiot who wouldn't tell him anything was very boring. Especially, since he was used to much finer company with more interesting subjects to talk about. Mainly, Lina. That thought caused him to think a bit. Why Lina? But before he could dwell on it for long, Xerxes talked.  
  
"The time has come," he said evilly. His silver eyes flashed, his mouth turned up into a malevolent grin. And he held his staff up, the red jewel glowing in the semi darkness of the room. "Wondering why I can use your staff, Oh mighty and all knowing Trickster Priest?" Sarcasm and ridicule dripped from his voice. Xellos hated to admit it, but he was starting to get worried. How could anyone use his staff other than himself or someone with his permission? "Go ahead, ask. I know you're dying to find out." And Xellos, who really hated to ask and look ignorant; who felt utterly humiliated, asked.  
  
"Why? How can you?" And Xerxes laughed.  
  
"I never thought you had it in you, Xellos." he said. "You, asking for answers? Ja! What a laugh. Like I said before, how hard the mighty have fallen." And Xellos burned with anger, his eyes growing even more slitted than usual. "If you wish to know, I am you, Xellos." And time froze.  
  
"What?!" he said. "Impossible!" Megrim laughed. Xellos wished he could put a shut up spell on the idiot.  
  
"Impossible you say?" asked Megrim, scorn evident in his voice. His figure changed, until he looked exactly like Xellos. "Do you know who I am? You! That's who. How else could I have known your past, your secrets, your fears, how to use your staff? And most importantly, your growing admiration of that silly human girl. What's her name? Oh yeah, Lina Inverse. The silly brat. That stupid girl with no figure? You know what she thinks about you? That you're just another thing on her list to do. She's on her way here, you know. To join you in your death. All you do is lead her into trouble, whether you mean it or not. Face it, you and her just don't go. Even if you were the human you were before." Xellos tried to plug his ears or tune out the words that came from his look alike. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore them like he was used to.  
  
"You think you care for her?" continued the clone. "You use her, just like you use your enemies. Or are you going to deny it?" Xellos squeezed his eyes shut. Each barb hit him like a punch to the gut. "You used to be the most respected Mazoku. Or should I say, half Mazoku? You were the strongest, fastest, bloodiest. Your jewel glowed with the blood of all you killed. It could light up a room with its glow, filled with all the pain and suffering you had caused for so many others. And you enjoyed the hunt, the thrill and their agony. And what do I see now? A pathetic idiot who has become too human to be any good. Who can't even escape from the ropes his little 'girlfriend' invented. You didn't know that did you? Knower of all Secrets? Yeah right! You don't realize, just how much you need me. You know why? I was part of you. I got free some time ago from you. And your strength has diminished. You aren't even a half-Mazoku any more. What are you? Almost human!" He spat out the last part as he walked closer to Xellos. With the staff, he hit him across his face. His eyes had a wild look about him. "But even though you are just a piece of trash in our plan, you still played the biggest trick on me. When I split from you, you held on to part of my power, part of my glory and strength. You! But tonight, I will get it back, even if I have to wipe out your mind for it. And you know what? Your pain and humiliation, your confusion, your hurt, is just... delicious." And with that, Megrim fused into him, and Xellos's eyes closed in pain, and screamed soundlessly in agony and despair as Megrim tried to get his power once more.  
  
[END FLASHBACK]  
  
Xellos shuddered. It had been years since he had felt such torment and agony. But somehow, he had survived it. He looked at the book. For some reason, he thanked the Lord of Nightmares, knowing for sure that it had been her. He started to read the contract, hoping Megrim didn't surprise him. He wasn't tied to the chair anymore, that was good. But he was in a room that had an anti magic shield around it. So, he couldn't use magic to bust the room, but he could do magic now. So he tried some spells, and found to his satisfaction, that Xerxes hadn't stolen any of his power yet. There was one good thing about the shield. He would know when Megrim entered, because the shield would change shape to allow him in. So he read the prophecy, trying to ignore the questions that had come from his encounter last night with Megrim. A few hours passed and finally, Xel looked up.  
  
'Wonder where that brat is,' thought Xellos as he hid the contract. 'Strange, he didn't come today. But I'm glad the bastard isn't here. More time to think.' And think he did. It was time to stop hiding. He...  
  
he... loved her. He loved Lina. How? He had no idea. Ever since they had met. She was so full of fire and confidence. Sure of who she was and what her plans were. Loyal to all her friends. And she accepted him for the Mazoku he was. She knew about him, yet trusted him still. And what had started out as admiration had grown into... what he felt now. 'OK,' he thought. 'So I know how I feel. How does Lina san feel?' And this is where he got stuck. How much of what Xerxes had said was true? And how much was said just to get a rise from him? To stop from getting a major headache, he decided to think about other things. So, Megrim had once been part of him. So, how did he get in him in the first place?  
  
'So much thinking is making me tired,' he thought and decided to sleep for a while, so he did, after putting his contract in his cape.  
  
When he woke up, he was startled when he saw Beastmaster in his room.  
  
"Zelas?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm here to clear up some confusion." she said coolly.  
  
"Huh?" asked Xellos. His meeting with Megrim had changed him more than he was willing to admit.  
  
"Who put you in here?" she asked, her eyes flashing fire.  
  
"Megrim." said Xellos. He put up a mask mentally, becoming once more, the sly Xellos everyone knew him to be. This was the one most people saw him as.  
  
"Megrim?" wondered Zelas. "Anyway, we are out of here. Come Xellos." Zelas grabbed his coat and the two were out.  
  
A few minutes later....  
  
"Stupid Madabar," grumbled Megrim/Xerxes. "Who does she think she is. Xellos is my prisoner, not hers. Well, better finish this before Zelas finds out. She'd have a cow if she found out what I'm doing. Not that I care, but she is so stubborn at times. Can't wait till this is over, then I'll show her who really is boss." He walked towards the cell he had locked Xellos in. He had almost gotten his power back last time. So close, but somehow, the idiot had found enough power in himself to fight back. The idiot, this time it would be worse. He smiled to himself as he walked into the room and found nobody. He froze. After quickly checking the room, he cursed loudly. Somehow, the fruitcake had escaped. Now, what was he going to tell Madabar?  
  
In Jinnia once more...  
  
"Excuse me, Zelas," said Xellos as he walked into the house behind Zelas. "How did you find me?" Wordlessly, she passed him a note. Xellos peered at the handwriting. It was very hard to read, it reminded him of Lina's signature on her paintings. Wait! It was Lina's handwriting! "Did Lina san write this?"  
  
"Yes." she said. She suddenly stopped and looked at him. "I'm sorry it took so long, but it's hard to decipher Lina's handwriting. Did they do anything to you? What did this Megrim say?" Xellos sat down on a chair. He really didn't want to talk about this. So, he said the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu." he said tiredly. These past few days were finally taking their toll on him. He just wanted to sleep for some time and forget everything. Zelas sighed.  
  
"You are an idiot, Xellos, you know?" she said. She grabbed him by the shoulder and lugged him up the stairs to his room and threw him on the bed. "We'll talk in the morning, Xellos. And it better be something other than Sore wa himitsu desu, or I'll cut your tongue off." With that, she slammed the door. Xellos smiled secretly and touched the contract still hidden on his self. But he didn't sleep yet. He still had Lina's note hidden in his pocket. Xellos got up and turned on a lamp in his room. He really liked his room. It had purple rugs, and dark blue walls, with a gold and purple border. He walked to his desk and took out the note. Lina really had messy handwriting. He spent half an hour deciphering the note. Which was weird. Zelas was smart. Why had it taken her so long to decipher it? Oh well, he read it.  
  
To Beastmaster Zelas,  
  
Left with Zelgadis to take care of matters. Going to check up on Xellos. Idiot called Megrim took him to your Island. Lina  
  
'Lina sure is direct and to the point.' thought Xellos as he looked the note over. So much for so little? He looked out the window. It was getting late, so he decided to fall asleep and clear up matters with L- sama. And so, he packed all his important things up and hid them on his person, and in his rucksack. It was a special rucksack, called the Rucksack of Holding. Made by a very wise magician, eons ago, it could hold absolutely anything you wanted. The trouble was finding it when you wanted your things. He had found it on one of his quests when he was a human, if he remembered correctly. Yep, eons ago.  
  
Xellos dreamt. And dreamt, and dreamt and dreamt, and finally, he saw a door. It was a very serious looking door. It had a silver doorknob and knocker, each in the shape of a butterfly. He tiptoed towards the door and got out a glass from his cape. He heard people inside, so he put the glass to the door and listened.  
  
Inside...  
  
"So, what do you want to do?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Make up your mind. You're visitor will be here soon."  
  
"I really hope he says yes."  
  
"Perhaps. Would it be that bad if he said no?"  
  
"Perhaps." giggles.  
  
"You are impossible to talk to! Well, you're visitor is here already. Have fun. Tea tomorrow?"  
  
"Same time and place."  
  
"Until then. Ciao."  
  
Xellos was surprised when a lady with elfin ears and blue hair walked through the door. She was about his height.  
  
"Hello," she said. "Amph is waiting for you inside." She looked at him and smiled. "Good luck!" Xellos looked surprised at her. She smiled and pushed him into the room.  
  
"Hi!" said Queen Amph. There was a table with tea things and two chairs. "Have a seat! We can have tea while we talk." Xellos nodded silently as he stared at the Queen. She had changed radically. She didn't look like a child anymore. She looked older, wiser, stricter. He sat down and took a sip of tea that she had poured for him.  
  
"How was your day?" she asked after taking a bite out of a tea biscuit with butter and strawberry jelly.  
  
"It was considerably better." he said. "Thank you very much for your help." She smiled.  
  
"Oh, that was Fate," said the Queen with a smile. "Fate's quite nice when I explain things nicely to her.  
  
"I'll thank her when I see her," said Xellos, not quite sure how he was going to find Fate.  
  
"You might see her later. She was the lady you passed when you came in." said the girl with a smile.  
  
"Oh..." said Xellos. He had actually seen Fate. Wow...  
  
"So, anyway, I'm waiting for your answer," she said. "The opportunity won't come again. Speak now, or forever remain silent. Xellos thought for a while. He took out the contract and stared at it.  
  
"Before answering, I have two questions." he said, not quite sure how the L-sama would take it.  
  
"Ask away," she said. "It's very good to be informed when deciding something of such importance." Xellos looked at the contract as he asked.  
  
"I need to talk to Lina." he said. "Will I be able to do as I wish and talk to her when I want to? And number two, will I still be a Mazoku?" The Lord of Nightmares smiled at that for three seconds before being serious once more. Fortunately, Xellos didn't see it. He was still looking at the contract, his hands in his lap, clenching the tablecloth.  
  
"Sure," she said. "As long as she's still alive and you get your work done. And you're not exactly a Mazoku when you become knight. You become a chaos being, like me. You can take up any form you want though. If you want, you can still look like a Mazoku if you want. Me, I change my figure all the time." Xellos looked up. She sounded almost, happy?  
  
"Then, I accept," he said. He opened the book to the last page. Chaos passed him a quill. Xellos looked at the blank page, having memorized what he had to write.  
  
I, Xellos, do pledge myself to Chaos, and accept the title and rank of Chaos Knight, under the guidance of the Lord of Nightmares. Signed: Xellos, the Trickster Priest  
  
There done, signed and finished. He looked at it. He felt as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders, and replaced with a lighter one. And he looked at the small statement with satisfaction. He had better  
  
handwriting than Lina, that was for sure. He handed her the contract.  
  
"Thank you Xellos," said the Queen, all smiles. "Welcome to the family of Chaos!!! Swearing in is in a few days. Anyone you'd like to invite?"  
  
"Not really," said Xellos. "It'd be nice if Lina was there. That's about it I guess."  
  
"Can I add more people?" asked the Queen as she flipped open a notepad and started to write on it.  
  
"Sure, I don't really mind," he said. Queen Chaos Amph was all smiles.  
  
"Do whatever you want until swearing in, which is in about three days! Here's your user's guide to chaos magic and yeah! That's about it! I'll visit you in your dream working out some of the smaller details. Till then!" She saluted and disappeared. She left a note on the table.  
  
"Could you put the tea stuff away, please? There's a cupboard behind you. Thanx! As usual, press wake when you're ready. Lina left for Seerin. Good luck! Chaos Amph." And Xellos smiled. Life seemed to have improved already.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES...  
  
Wow, I finished this chapter really quickly! Yeah!!! I'm so happy! Well, how are you guys doing? Thank you for all the encouraging notes. They make my day, and inspire me to write. Thanx!!! So tell me, what did you think of the chapter? You know me, Read and Review, and Comment and Criticize. Don't worry, if you say something bad, I won't kill you. ^.^;;  
  
And don't worry, the romance is coming soon. (Hey! It's one chapter closer!!! ^^)  
  
Well, till next time! Keep up the great work on the reviews!!! ^.^;;  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Quotes for the chapter...  
  
"Life, is like a peach." QD-chan  
  
"Joy, is like a spoon. Think about it." Sayna-chan  
  
"Orale Che Cool!" Yanis-chan  
  
^.^ I like my quotes!!!! Aren't QD-chan, Yanis-chan and Sayna-chan so smart? 


	9. Just Another Calm Day in Seerin...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Yeah, yeah, I know... here we go. I know, and you know and I know that you know that Slayers doesn't belong to me. Satisfied? Good. Now, on with the story!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Just Another Calm Day in Seerin...  
  
Xellos woke up, feeling better than he had in years. It was amazing what a few dreams can do for you when you're tired. He looked out the window. It was a few minutes before dawn. He checked himself. Not a Mazoku anymore, he could feel the change coming over his body already. This body still fed from feelings, though. But, now, it wasn't just negative. Oh well, he found his bag. Xellos looked at the stand that usually held his staff, but it wasn't there. He had to get the silly thing back from that Megrim. His eye caught a white paper on the desk. It was a note.  
  
Xellos, forgot to tell you. You have to submit a withdrawal form to Zelas. You don't have to specify. Just write that you're changing jobs on my orders. She'll understand. And if not, oh well, too bad for her. She has to learn not everything will go her way. My daughter is so stubborn, so watch out. Chaos Amph  
  
'Must I?' thought Xellos. He quickly wrote a note to Zelas.  
  
To Beastmaster Zelas.  
  
Switched jobs on orders from the Lord of Nightmares. It was fun to work under you. Perhaps we'll see you later. Xellos  
  
He put the letter on his desk and wrote TO BEASTMASTER in huge letters. He smiled at his room and flew out the window. Now, to find Lina. He felt for her magical signature and the aural signature from the demonsblood talismans. He smiled. She was in Seerin already. Good. She'd probably stay there for some time. With that, he phased out of sight.  
  
"How could you let him escape?" asked Madabar, her aquamarine eyes flashing. "You idiot!"  
  
"I told you," said Megrim. "It's not my fault! There was no way to escape, it was an anti magic barrier I put up!"  
  
"That's not the point." said Madabar. "You had no orders to kidnap the Priest, and now, he has escaped! What do you think Zelas will do when she finds out?"  
  
"Then we don't tell her!" said Megrim. "And we attack Seerin. I know that's where he is. After all, that's where Lina is going. We attack, and catch both the Priest, the chimera and the human. Then, we can tell Zelas that we have caught them." Madabar thought about it.  
  
"Fine, I'll put you in charge." she said. "But one more failure and you are finished! Understand, Megrim? I don't want any more mistakes!"  
  
"Your orders will be fulfilled." he said sarcastically before phasing out.  
  
"Idiot," mumbled Madabar under her breath. 'Sure, everyone else gets the intelligent allies. I get stuck with an idiot who is bent on revenge...'  
  
Lina looked at the town she had called home for almost two years. Melf had wanted to stay outside, since he wasn't too used to interacting with other humans. Lina and Zel were an exception. It was good to be home again, but now was not the time to reminisce. She had things to do, people to warn, and people to whip in shape in case Megrim and his henchmen came to attack.  
  
"Ms. Tirla!" said a girl running to them, followed by two others. Lina shaded her eyes in the morning sun.  
  
"Riza? Rhea? Rowan?" asked Lina. Seeing that they were, she broke out into a speed run, usually reserved to running to buffet tables before anyone else got there, namely Gourry.  
  
"Ms. Tirla!!!" shouted the little tikes as they jumped her and hugged her silly. "You're back!!!"  
  
"We got your invitation Aunty Tirla! That's so cool!!" said Riza.  
  
"Yeah!" said Rhea.  
  
"Definitely!" said Rowan. And Lina hugged them as hard as she could. She had missed her three little students.  
  
"And what am I?" asked a voice. "Last nights left over brussel sprouts?"  
  
"Uncle Zel!!" screamed the girls as they got off Lina and climbed all over Zelgadis. And Zelgadis laughed and hugged them also. Lina looked at them and smiled, before sensing another presence. She looked up and gasped.  
  
"Heads up! Barrier!" she shouted. Zel immediately went down, taking the girls with him, and Lina's barrier appeared around them. Just in time also, since a ball of green fire hit the barrier, sizzled and died, one second after the barrier was in place. Lina and Zel looked up. Megrim smiled at them, holding a oak staff with a ruby red orb at the top.  
  
"Well met again, Lina Inverse." he said.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Lina angrily. She flew up to him. "We're going to Wolf Pack and decided to take care of a few things. I still have a few days. And what are you doing with Xellos's staff?"  
  
"You may not believe me, but it's not anything you did." said Megrim, crossing his arms. His tail flicked lazily behind him. "I'm here for Xellos. And this staff? It's mine."  
  
"Xellos?" asked Lina confused. "Helloooo. The reason we're going to Wolf Pack is to get Xellos. You idiot!"  
  
"Hey! I resent that!" said Megrim. He looked up at the sky. "Well, since he isn't here yet, maybe he just needs to be encouraged." He snapped his fingers, and immediately, more creatures appeared all around the town skies. "Attack!" he said. "Perhaps this will speed the Priest." Lina's eyes widened as all the monsters started to fly around the city and began to attack.  
  
"Shoot!" said Lina. "Zel! Take care of them! I'll take care of the idiot here... Flare Light!" A light flew forth from her hands and shot up into the sky, blinding almost everyone. Zel nodded and took the girls with him.  
  
"Here, hide. Don't do anything." said Zel as he deposited the three near a house. With that, he dashed off. Lina had called for help with her flash of light, and it was his job to lead the troops... just like they had practiced before. It was to this scene that Xellos appeared. His eyes opened in surprise. He had felt lots of magic, but had thought it was due to the surroundings of Seerin. He looked up and saw Lina fighting against Megrim. She had drawn her sword and was casting magic and using it at the same time. But Megrim blocked all her attacks with the staff. His staff. On the other side, he saw Zelgadis leading a bunch of wizards in a fight against three million monsters whose goal seemed to blow up the town. They were doing fine though.  
  
"Uncle Xellos!" He turned around and saw Rhea, Riza and Rowan hiding beside a house. He ran to them, trying to keep his magic signature down.  
  
"What's happening?" he asked.  
  
"Aunty Tirla and Uncle Zel came and then that guy appeared." said Rhea.  
  
"He said that he was waiting for you to come." said Riza as she clutched him.  
  
"And Aunty got mad and the guy ordered that they attack us. But Uncle Zel is leading the troops to fight!" said Rowan. "I want to fight too, but Aunty and Uncle wouldn't let me."  
  
"Aunty Tirla!!!" shouted Rhea, who had been looking at the fight. Xellos looked up and gasped as Megrim twirled his staff and caused a shower of ice diamonds fly to Lina. Lina looked tired, and hastily summoned a barrier spell, which wasn't enough to stop the barrage. She flew back and crashed against a house.  
  
"Lina!" shouted Xellos. He quickly phased out to reappear beside Lina.  
  
"Lina-san, are you OK?" he asked as she got up slowly.  
  
"It's about time you got here, fruitcake," she said as she stared at Megrim. "May I ask what he's doing with your staff?"  
  
"Long story. I'll tell you after this is over, 'k?" asked Xellos as he kept an eye on Megrim.  
  
"Fine." said Lina. Her eyes were burning with anger. "We fight now." With that, Lina once again entered the fight. Xellos did too, and this time, the fight began in earnest.  
  
'Dodge, parry, strike, Flare Arrow, duck' thought Lina grimly as she fired up for a Freeze Arrow. She sent that one at him, but he dismissed it with the staff again. If only he didn't have that silly staff. Xellos concentrated on his staff, while trying to get behind Megrim's defenses.  
  
'Come back to me,' he thought as he dodged a strike from Megrim. With satisfaction, he saw the orb respond to him. Megrim frowned.  
  
"Sorry, Xellos," he said. "But the staff is mine." and he cut off Xellos's connection.  
  
"So, you want a real fight?" asked Xellos. "So be it." He opened his eyes and let his self confidently pupils start to glow an eerie purple. "Lina, get out of the way! Cast a barrier on the girls." Lina looked up and quickly floated out.  
  
"What are you doing, you idiot?" she shouted to him as she quickly cast a magical barrier around the girls. Megrim just smiled self confidently. Didn't Xellos know that he knew all the attacks and could easily counter them?  
  
"Lina, get ready to attack with all you've got." said Xellos telepathically, something Knights of Chaos could do. See? He had read the manual! Lina blinked. But quickly started to chant silently, her demonsblood talismans glowing, matching the eerieness of Xellos's eyes. Megrim frowned. What was Xellos doing?  
  
Xellos concentrated. Megrim was too self-confident to run, which made it perfect. With a blink of an eye, the staff in Megrim's hands started to glow blood red. But it didn't stop there. Xellos smiled, as he continued to chant silently. The orb started to pulsate. Megrim watched astonished until he realized what Xellos was doing.  
  
"Impossible!" he shouted. He tried to get rid of the staff, but found that it was too late. Xellos had already began. It was a trick, learned long time ago, when they had just gotten the staff. If you wanted to destroy the staff, you pumped it to its limits and beyond with energy, until the orb couldn't handle the power and shattered. Of course, nobody really wanted to do it, since the orb amplified ones powers. What was the use of breaking it? But Xellos was doing exactly that. Breaking it.  
  
"Staff, Rupture!" he whispered as he held out one hand and snapped his fingers in the other. "Now Lina!" he shouted. Lina nodded and fired off a Double Dragon Slave, one coming from each hand.  
  
"Double Dragon Slave!!!!" she shouted as the power pulsated from her hands. She didn't want to use the Giga Slave and she didn't want to risk a Laguna Blade. So a Dragon Slave it was. Two, to be exact.  
  
"What?" asked Megrim, as he felt the orb start to crack. All of a sudden, there was a splintering sound and light enveloped the are where Megrim was. Xellos was right. Megrim had been too self confident to move, and was caught unawares as Lina's spells ran into him. That sudden increase in power, caused a chain reaction with the orb, causing that to explode sooner than Xellos thought. He put down his hands in fatigue. He saw the explosion, and saw Lina put down her arms tiredly also. The two stayed up, waiting to see if Megrim had survived it. On the other side of town, Zel saw the huge explosion. On the ground, the girls covered their eyes against the sudden brightness. The smoke cleared, the light disappeared and Megrim had vanished. A solitary oak staff with a pronged end slowly fell towards the ground.  
  
"Yes!" said Zel as he ran a Balus Rod through the last enemy on their side. He could here the rest of the troops cheer raggedly. Lina smiled tiredly... that had taken too much from her... and her vision became blurry. Her eyes closed, and she fainted from exertion. Xellos saw her falling in the distance and quickly caught her before she hit the ground. He put her on the ground before he too, fainted.  
  
Zel saw this and quickly flew towards them.  
  
"Aunty Tirla, Uncle Xellos!" shouted the girls as they ran toward the fallen pair. Zel arrived on the scene first. He saw the white turned hair on Lina and saw the white strands in Xellos's hair. He called a few people and had them carry the two into a house to rest.  
  
Xellos woke up with a pounding headache. He opened his eyes for one second before closing them again. They hurt so much. Gosh, his hair hurt. How had this happened? Usually, it took longer to burn him out like this. Whatever... he felt around him. He could feel Lina's presence across the room. She seemed to be sleeping. He could feel her tiredness. That last spell of hers had probably taken a lot out of her. He tried to get up and finally succeeded with out falling down in the process. He laid his head against the dashboard and thought about the last battle. There went his staff. Broken by his own hands. When Zelas had told him about how you break the staff, he had laughed, along with the rest of the other Mazokus. Why break such a staff? Why forsake all that power? There had been a catch. The owner had to really want to break it... it almost pained him to see such a marvelous staff broken like that. His thoughts drifted and he fell asleep again. He was so tired.  
  
Lina woke up shortly after. With a groan, she opened her eyes and tried to move. She gasped in pain. She was really sore from breaking her fall against the house. She got up slowly. What had happened? Oh yeah, she cast a Double Dragon Slave. She had been really rusty if casting that had sapped all her power. When was the last time she had cast such a thing? A looooong time ago...  
  
She looked around her and saw Xellos resting against the headboard. His breathing was deep, and his eyes were closed. She brushed aside her white hair. Xellos had a few strands of white, not as much as she had, though. It'd be funny, if he had white hair. He'd look pretty weird. She smiled tenderly at him, he looked so sweet like that. Her thoughts turned to the Lord of Nightmare's statement. Finding the love of her life... but she already found him, and wouldn't let him go. She hadn't told the Lord of Nightmares that, though. She didn't want to know who it was supposed to be. She already knew who she loved. Lina smiled sadly. That was one part that she didn't want to do. Find out who it really was. And she smiled sadly at Xellos and tried to fall asleep.  
  
A few minutes later, she gave up. It was afternoon, and she wasn't used to sleeping at these hours, even though she had zapped her energy. Her stomach chose that moment to agree and grumbled loudly. She blushed and crossed her fingers, hoping it hadn't woken anybody up. Unfortunately for her, she turned and met Xellos's amused face on the other bed.  
  
"Ah...Hi!" she said, beet red. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Lina-san," he said. He grinned at her. "How are you doing?"  
  
"Hungry," said Lina with a smile. "But that's about it. Not too tired. How about you?"  
  
"About the same," he said. "Just that I have better control over my body than you do." She flushed red, and he laughed. A real happy content type of laugh, and Lina joined in. And Xel was happy. He could talk with Lina. Maybe, he would tell her what he thought. Then again, maybe not. As Knight of Chaos, he'd outlive her probably...  
  
Downstairs, Zel watched Rhea, Riza and Rowan dutifully study. Since Lina was sleeping, he gave them the magic lesson. Melf had finally come into the town and was sitting across the room, looking like he was meditating. He looked out the window. Fortunately, the damage had been minimum, and not many houses had been damaged. Lina had taught the troops how to work together. They already knew magic. After all, we are talking about Seerin, a town full of mages.  
  
"Uncle Zel?" asked Riza quietly.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Are Uncle Xellos and Aunty Tirla OK?" she asked, with a scared little voice. "They've been sleeping for a long time."  
  
"And Aunty Tirla had white hair." said Rhea.  
  
"So did Uncle Xellos." said Rowan.  
  
"Well," said Zelgadis. "Both are very tired after attacking the bad person who came. Do you remember the big explosion?" They nodded. How could they forget it? "Well, that took a lot of power. How much power did Tirla use?"  
  
"What spell did she cast?" asked Rowan  
  
"A Double Dragon Slave."  
  
"But Uncle Zel, we don't know that spell." said Riza.  
  
"Could you teach us?" asked Rhea. Zel smiled and shook his head.  
  
"The reason Aunty Tirla didn't teach you was because it's too powerful. But that isn't the strongest spell she knows. It's one of the strongest though." The three nodded and continued with their work. Their parents had left to see matters in the city. After all, they were the mayors. Melf cleared his throat.  
  
"What happened Zelgadis?" he asked.  
  
"Megrim attacked." said Zel. "The same guy who attacked Jinnia."  
  
"Oh," said Melf. "Who is this person?"  
  
"Some idiot with black hair and silver fox ears." said Zelgadis. "It doesn't matter. He tried to hurt the people Lina cares about, Lina trashes him." Melf took a moment to process the information.  
  
"Will we be going to Wolf Pack Island next?" he asked. The three heard the name and looked up, surprise evident in their faces. Immediately, they hammered Zel with questions.  
  
"Are you really going to Wolf Pack Island?" asked Rowan.  
  
"Why?" asked Rhea.  
  
"Can I go too?" asked Riza. Zel sighed. He calmed them down and then answered Melf.  
  
"I'm not sure." he said. "We'll have to see what happened to Xellos and how they are feeling. Something tells me that Xellos has quite a story to tell us, if he won't hold it as a secret." Melf nodded and left the room to go on a walk. As soon as he was gone, the girls surrounded Zel again.  
  
"Uncle Zel," said Rowan. "Who was that person?"  
  
"Yeah, who was he?" asked Rhea.  
  
"He looked weird." said Riza.  
  
"He's an acquaintance of your Aunty Tirla." he said, not quite sure how to explain it.  
  
"But is he your friend?" asked Rhea.  
  
"Ask Tirla to explain it to you," he said finally.  
  
"And Uncle Zel," asked Riza. "What is Aunty's name? Is she Tirla, or Lina?"  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Because Uncle Xel called her Lina when she got hit by the bad person." said Riza.  
  
"Tirla will explain it to you, but call her Tirla until you ask, OK? She needs to rest." said Zel, not quite sure how to explain it all. "Now, I'm going to check on Tirla and Xellos. Who's coming with me?"  
  
"Me!!!" shouted the three.  
  
"OK, but you have to be quiet, OK?" he asked, putting a finger to his lips. The three mimicked his actions and nodded solemnly. And that is how the four walked up the stairs.  
  
Zel listened at the door and whispered to the kids to be quiet. They giggled quietly. They were spying on Aunt Tirla. And what was best, they had an excuse... Uncle Zelgadis started it!  
  
Xellos, felt their presence and walked quietly towards Lina. She was still laughing softly. He pointed at the door and made the motion of holding a glass to his ear. He quickly wrote down a note for her.  
  
'Zel and your three munchkins are at the door,' Lina read quietly, the whole time, Xellos talking about food. She giggled.  
  
'Let's surprise them.' she wrote. She laughed out loud and made a few suggestions on food she wanted to eat. Xellos nodded and made motions of opening the door on them suddenly and watching them topple. Lina watched the pantomime, and tried to hold back the laughter. They smiled and quickly yanked the door open. Zelgadis, Rowan, Rhea and Riza, who were each holding a glass to their ear, found that their support had vanished and fell into the room.  
  
"Aaaaagh!!!" shouted the girls. They fell on top of Zelgadis.  
  
"Ouch," said Zel, under the girls. "Hi, Tirla, Xellos..." Tirla put on an angry face.  
  
"Zel, Rhea, Rowan, Riza.... what are you doing with a glass each??" She looked very scary like that. Zel sweatdropped, while the three tried to hide behind Zel.  
  
"It was Uncle Zel's idea." said Riza meekly. Lina grinned, along with Xellos.  
  
"Oh, you guys are just impossible!" said Lina with a smile. Xellos smiled. "Hey, Xellos and I are starving! We want to eat!" Xellos walked till he was beside Lina and leaned against her.  
  
"So, if you want to be in Tirla's good graces, you better get her something to eat, or else..." he said with a smile. Lina raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"And if you, Mr. Xellos, want to be in my good graces also, you better stop leaning against me!" said Lina, half jokingly. Xellos pouted but stood up straight.  
  
"Have you guys eaten yet?" asked Lina to the four, who were smiling again.  
  
"Not yet!" said Riza, whose stomach decided to back her up. She blushed. They all laughed and went downstairs to have lunch.  
  
After lunch, Rhea, Rowan and Riza went out to play with their friends, while Lina had a talk with Zelgadis and Xellos and Melfinusty..  
  
"So, Xellos, care to tell us what happened?" asked Lina. "We were about to go to Wolf Pack Island to rescue you. We stopped at Seerin to warn the people to be on the look out."  
  
"Let's see..." said Xellos thoughtfully.  
  
"It'd be nice to know how the other got your staff, Xellos," said Melfinusty. "I know you wouldn't give it to someone else. And you wouldn't normally destroy it either."  
  
"So, talk," said Zelgadis.  
  
"Weeeeeell," said Xellos. "Sore wa himitsu desu!" That was the last straw for Lina.  
  
"You IDIOT!!!!" she shouted as she slammed her hands on the table. She started to throttle him. "Don't you realize just how worried we were!!! I'm studying the scrolls, a fire appears, and this idiot called Megrim appears. Lights up the whole place with cute little balls of fire. Threatens to burn up Seerin, and holds you as hostage. And then you come tripping by, two days later, bust your own staff and say SORE WA HIMITSU DESU!!!!???" She ran out of breath and stopped shaking him. "Don't you get it, we were worried sick!!!" She finally let go of him and sighed. "Of course, what am I supposed to expect. You're a Mazoku... Zelas's Chief General and Priest. I thought... nothing, never mind." She sank into her seat, her eyes defeated. "Sorry for the outburst..." There was silence. Melf cleared his throat.  
  
"Anyway, Xellos," he said. "Where's Zelas?"  
  
"Last time I saw her, it was in Jinnia." answered Xellos meekly.  
  
"Anything worth telling us?" asked Zel, since it looked like Lina didn't want to talk. Xellos thought for a while. He sort of wanted to say that he wasn't working for Zelas, but then, he didn't want them scared off by that. And besides, he only invited Lina, so Zel would wonder. So he decided that he'd tell Lina later, if she was still speaking to him.  
  
"Not really," said Xellos. More silence. Lina stood up.  
  
"Then that's that," said Lina. "I have no idea what to do next. I'll think up of something later. So don't bother me for the rest of the night." She went upstairs to take her stuff and five minutes later, she was going to her house. More silence...  
  
"You really screwed it up, this time Xellos," said Zelgadis, leveling Xellos a withering glare.  
  
"Grow up, Xellos. Stop playing jokes with the Inverse girl." said Melf. Xellos looked up, shocked.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked as he quickly put on his happy face.  
  
"If you want to play with her, then fine. But don't hurt her, or you'll deal with me." said Zelgadis as he left the table. So only Melf and Xellos were left.  
  
"Are you going to give me a lecture on the treatment of humans?" asked Xellos, sarcastically.  
  
"Watch your place, Xellos," said Melf. "For once, listen to your elders and betters. You think I'm the only one who noticed that you're different. Your whole aura reeks of change. And of course, Lina noticed that. She won't say a thing. She won't pry. But you could have told her the bare minimum. She told me about the mission she has. She needs to know. She does not need you playing pranks. Zel hasn't noticed your change, but sees Lina worried. You think he wants a dangerous sorceress on the warpath? Especially Lina, his friend, the one who stands up for him?" Xellos remained quiet. "There. Call it lecture, or whatever you want. I'm staying outside the Inverse household if you need me. I'm trusting you on this one. I'm looking for Zelas. Tomorrow I'll leave to go back to Jinnia. It's my duty to protect Beastmaster. Till next we meet." Melf stood up and walked outside. Xellos sighed. This time, he had really blown it.  
  
Melf left the next day. Lina was sullen and spent the whole day locked up in her study. Every once in a while, you could hear her curse loudly and throw something at the wall. Zel taught the three girls their magic classes and warned them not to bother Lina, since she was in a bad mood. Xellos spent the whole time looking through the Chaos magic manual or looking out the window. Tomorrow, was the day for the swearing in. Tomorrow, he'd explain it to her. Hopefully, everything would work out... hopefully.  
  
Author's Notes!!!  
  
Wheeeeeeee!!! ... ^.^;; Anyway, here's the next chapter. Another little battle scene... just in case you're wondering, battle scenes are not my specialty. Why are Lina and Xellos feeling so weak? Why is Lina so moody? (Wait, isn't she always moody?^.^) How will they react during the ceremony? You'll find out next chapter! Yeah!!! Anyway... my Easter break (Spring break type of thing...) just ended, which means... back to school for me... So, if I don't update like, in a month, well... I might have died from homework over load. ^^ Probably not, it probably means I'm too lazy or tired to do anything...^^  
  
Anyway, how do you guys like it so far? Comments? Criticisms? Reviews? Suggestions? Flames? Call me at 1-800-HOTARU or 1-800-KIMIKO or 1-800- SNEAKY CHIBI OTAKU GEEK... just kidding.... ^^ (how about just emailing me or writing a review? hint, hint) I'm sort of tired... ignore the weirdness...  
  
I just finished my SATs... and I just took the ACT assessment stuff... ugh....I know... I hate those tests... Well, till next time!!!!  
  
Till next time!!!  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
PS (Read NONE OF THE ABOVE by David Owen ( I think that's his name). He gives astounding info on the SATs, even though written some time ago...)  
  
Quote...  
  
The heights by great men reached and kept,  
  
Were not attained by sudden flight.  
  
But they while their companions slept  
  
Were toiling upward in the night.  
  
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 


	10. Frequencies out of Whack...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Hotaru  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Slayers aint mine... there, I said it. BUT!!! This huge thing called a story is mine. I thought up of the idea!! Aren't you all so amazingly proud of me???? ^^  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Frequencies Out of Whack...  
  
It dawned nice and bright. The sky was cyan in color, and there were fat puffy clouds floating in an ocean of air.  
  
'Cumulus nimbus...' thought Lina absentmindedly as she classified the clouds. 'Cirrus clouds from the west...'  
  
She was up, bright and early with the birds. She was so used to waking up early. After all, she had spent years adventuring and being on the run. Then she had come here, and it meant getting up to make your own breakfast, prepare the day's lesson, and three million other things... like more breakfast. Sometimes, she'd go out into the woods... so that meant waking up even earlier. Maybe she had been rough on him... maybe.... she had exaggerated, and blown things out of proportion. She remembered the confrontation, two days ago... she had been so mad. First, so glad... he was fine! He was feeling OK. He was there, close to her... so she could watch over him and be so near him... And then, a few hours later... how he treated matters so flippantly... it drove her up the wall. He didn't understand... he'd never understand... he was a Mazoku... he didn't care how much she cared for him. And while yelling at him, she had almost let it loose... almost told him. That would have been a mistake... Fortunately, she had reigned in her tongue. She sighed and looked out. She had done the right thing, she hadn't told him a thing. Once she was Knight, there was no more them... it would only be L-sama... the rest would die off slowly from age and she'd be left. Better to let things rest as they were. So, why did yearning after a Mazoku hurt so much? More importantly... why in the world did she have to fall for a Mazoku??? Of all the people in the world... why him?  
  
Unknown to her... Xellos was watching the same sunrise on the other side of the little home...  
  
'What am I going to tell her? Not Sore wa himitsu desu. I don't want to say good bye to her like that. ' Xellos stood up and walked around softly. He got to share a room with Zelgadis, since Lina's house wasn't that amazingly big... just very neat. Which was surprising, considering how she had left the room in Beastmaster's house. Talking about her... how had she taken the news of his quitting?  
  
Let's check...  
  
A few days earlier...  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?"  
  
Now, back to the present...  
  
Anyway, back to his present problem... how in the world was he going to get out of it?? The swearing in was tonight... he wanted it to be perfect... to be a nice time... He mentally pulled his hair and screamed with anxiety. Outwardly, he smiled crazily and walked around in circles.  
  
Zel woke up. It felt like a nice day. He could feel the sunlight pouring in through the window, flooding the room with an orange-yellow hue. Well, he could imagine that. So, he opened his eyes and promptly shut them. It was ruined. Such a beautiful and cheery day... ruined by seeing Xellos's insane grin, walking around in circles. *shudder*  
  
"What's up with you?" asked Zelgadis, half way curious as to why Xellos was walking around the room in circles. "Why are you walking around in circles?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" said Xellos chirpily. Zelgadis sweatdropped.  
  
"Hasn't that gotten you in enough trouble already?" asked Zelgadis wryly.  
  
"Well," said Xellos. He stopped and fingered his chin thoughtfully. "I'll tell you, but I trust your discretion to this matter of utmost importance." Zel got up and just stared. "OK, I'm worried about how I will confront Lina tonight."  
  
"Ah... you mean the Knight business?" asked Zel.  
  
"How do you know about that?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" said Zelgadis. Xellos stared at him.  
  
"Are you OK? Do you have a fever?" asked Xellos. Zelgadis shook his head.  
  
"I got an invitation to the ceremony." said Zel.  
  
"Anyway, I don't want to part with ill feelings, if you know what I mean." said Xellos as he sat down on his own bed.  
  
"Yeah, I understand." said Zelgadis. Silence...  
  
"You see, life will be long... It'd be nice if it were not filled with regrets. Who knows when I'd see her again." said Xellos. Then he abruptly stood up. His smile was back. "Well, it was nice to talk to you, Zel, old buddy. Normally, I don't dig the buddy-buddy, share your feelings type of thing... I still don't." He started to leave, but Zel spoke.  
  
"You like her, don't you? I don't know how, but you do, right?" asked Zel. Xellos froze.  
  
"Mazoku can't feel things like that," he said with an inward smile. Of course, he wasn't totally Mazoku at the moment, due to some circumstances beyond his control.  
  
"I thought so too, until I met one," said Zel. "She'll be in the forest this afternoon, you know. Whenever something troubles her, she'll go into the forest and blow things up or meditate. Just make sure you don't get in the way." With that, he stood up and walked to the bathroom. Xellos stood shocked. Lina had been avoiding them for some time. But he had given him a chance to meet with her... interesting.  
  
*****  
  
"Aunty Tirla, we have a question!!!" said Riza as she skipped beside Tirla, holding a little basket. Lina had decided to make up to the girls for not seeing them yesterday by taking them out on a picnic. She  
  
was presently carrying a very bit picnic basket.  
  
"Really?" asked Tirla.  
  
"Yeah!" said Rhea as she walked behind them carrying a huge basket.  
  
"What's your name, Aunty Tirla?" asked Rhea. She was also holding a basket. Lina stopped.  
  
"I would think that was obvious!" said Tirla with a smile, after a while. "What do you call me?"  
  
"Aunty Tirla, of course!" said Riza.  
  
"Well?" asked Lina. Rowan stomped her foot.  
  
"But that's not what I meant!!!!!" she said. "I meant, why does Uncle Xellos call you Lina???"  
  
"When did he call me Lina?" asked Lina. She was a little surprised. She was going to tell them, but she wasn't quite ready.  
  
"The other day when you were fighting." said Rhea. Lina thought for a while. They continued to walk silently for some time and finally stopped at a small clearing. She set down the things and then motioned for her students to join her on the grass.  
  
"Well," she started. "I guess I owe you all an explanation. My name, as you have read on the invitation to tonight is Celina Tirla Inverse. In my younger days, I was known by my first name, but Celina just doesn't cut it. So I changed it to Lina."  
  
"So, you were known as... Lina Inverse?" asked Riza.  
  
"You mean, as Lina Inverse, the infamous bandit killer?" asked Rowan.  
  
"Like as in the Dragon Spooker?" asked Rhea.  
  
"As in the fairy tales mom used to tell us?" asked Riza. "You're my hero!" With that, she tackled her and hugged Lina strongly.  
  
"Wow, we were studying under Lina Inverse!" said Rhea. "How cool is that?"  
  
"I never thought... can I have your autograph?" asked Rowan. "Wait, I already have it. You always write on my papers! That's so neat!"  
  
"So, you have heard all about me?" asked Lina, surprised.  
  
"Yeah!" said Rowan. "Who hasn't? You're a legend in Seerin! In all over the world!"  
  
"Uh huh!!" said Riza, nodding her head strongly, such that her braided hair flew all over the place. "You're the coolest! Everyone here wants to be like you! At least, that's what they say so in school!"  
  
"So, what about tonight?" asked Rowan. "We're invited to what?"  
  
"Well, tonight will be very special." said Lina as she hugged them. "I told you there are three major types of magic. What are they?"  
  
"White!" said Rhea.  
  
"And Black!" said Riza.  
  
"What's the last one?" asked Rowan.  
  
"It's Chaos," said Lina, seriously. "I haven't taught you any chaos magic, because chaos magic calls on the Lord of Nightmares. It's very dangerous magic."  
  
"But you use chaos magic, right?" said Rowan. "Like the Laguna Blade."  
  
"Or the Giga Slave!" chimed in Rhea and Riza.  
  
"Yes, but that's different. I have always had a special affinity with chaos magic. Just like Rhea finds it very easy to cast Restores and hard to cast Fireballs, and Riza always throws Fireballs around... Rowan is different from you. She can cast both easily. Anyway, I can cast Chaos magic, and not have to suffer too many consequences. L-sama is just making it official. Tonight, I become Chaos Knight."  
  
"But, aren't Knights different from us?" asked Rowan, remembering everything she had learned. "Like, not exactly human?"  
  
"Right," said Lina, sadly. "Chaos Knights have a special ability to cast all sorts of Chaos magic. But that magic changes you. Then again, every bit of magic you cast has a price, remember? That's why you don't want to cast it when you feel like it. Magic is dangerous to play with, even white magic."  
  
"So, you're going to change into Chaos Knight, tonight?" asked Riza. Lina nodded. "Wow!" Lina smiled. They were so innocent.  
  
*****  
  
That afternoon, after sending the three home, she walked in the woods until she came across a small brook. She sat there and ran her fingers through the cool spring water. So peaceful, it was. She usually came here only when she had to think hard about things. Tonight merited a trip to her favorite spot. Contrary to popular belief, she didn't just delight in destruction. Unknown to her, Xellos was up in a tree at the edge of the brook. She leaned on the tree, not realizing Xellos was up there. Xellos took a deep breath and spoke.  
  
"Beautiful day, ne, Lina san?" he asked quietly. Lina jumped and looked up.  
  
"Oh, hi Xellos." she said calmly. "Yes, it's a nice day."  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to break the ice that threatened to separate the two.  
  
"Thinking," said Lina softly.  
  
"Mind if I join you?" asked Xellos. Lina shrugged, so Xellos jumped down and sat beside her. There was silence, as Xellos could feel that she was uncomfortable for a bit. He moved over a bit, so he didn't invade her personal space, and felt her relax a little. There was more silence. The sun shone brightly and a slight breeze blew by. Strands of Lina's now red hair flew lightly in the win before she promptly gathered her hair with a black ribbon at the base of her neck. Xellos's hair whipped back and forth slightly. Little birds sang and chirped happily, and the brook babbled brightly in the background. Lina sighed and took a deep breath.  
  
"Hey, Xellos?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yeah, Lina san?" answered Xellos.  
  
"I, I just wanted to tell you... I'm sorry, about what happened. You didn't have to tell me anything and I just blew up at you. I'm sorry, Xellos." She said all of this while looking at the brook in front of her, not daring to look in to his eyes, for fear that she'd break down in front of him. Meanwhile, Xellos was surprised to say the least. Normally, Lina wouldn't say sorry, about anything! But... she had. He got sadder still. It'd be so hard to say good bye to her after tonight.  
  
"It's OK," said Xellos, awkwardly, not quite sure how to handle all the sadness he felt from her and from himself. "I'm sorry too, about, you know... I shouldn't have joked with you. I know it's serious but I still don't really want to talk about it. Thank you, though, for worrying." While still looking at the brook, Lina scooted a bit closer and hesitantly touched his shoulder.  
  
"Let's try to get along. After tonight, it'll be difficult. No hard feelings?" she asked.  
  
"No hard feelings," he answered. Not once did they look at each other. Finally Lina leaned her head against him and rested. Xellos told his body not to jump, and it didn't. He hesitantly wrapped his one arm around her shoulder and they stayed like that, watching the brook, until it was time to go.  
  
*****  
  
That night, Lina dreamed. She found herself in a huge room. There were two red carpets going from two extremes to the middle of the wall across the room, forming two sides of a triangle. There were a few chairs in the middle of the triangle for the audience. At the front was a chair, made of orihalcon, simple in design. A small girl wearing green motioned for Lina to follow her, so Lina did. They entered a room, with a uniform, a mirror and some other things for her to freshen up. The girl jumped and disappeared from sight. Lina sighed. It was time. She had been nice tonight and had had supper with all her friends, yes, even Xellos. No regrets, not a single one. OK, she had one.... but that couldn't be helped. She turned as she felt L-sama's presence behind her. Lina bowed on one knee towards her.  
  
"L-sama." she said, reverently.  
  
"Rise, Celina Tirla Inverse." she said. Lina did as told. "How are you doing?" Lina looked into the eyes of her boss for who knows how long. One of these days, she would get used to seeing her many forms. She was now garbed in a splendid black gown, her golden hair falling around her like a golden river cascading down her shoulders. In her hand, she held a shovel in all its chaotic glory.  
  
"What can I do for you?" asked Lina.  
  
"Tonight, I will fulfill my promise to you. You will meet him tonight." said L-sama. Lina looked up, surprised.  
  
"But, but, but I'm not ready!" said Lina, panic rising in her eyes. If she could have it her way, she'd never find out. L-sama's eyes hardened.  
  
"You would question me in such matters of lower importance as this, Lina?" she asked, her voice flat and emotionless, so different from the other Lord of Nightmares. Lina gulped.  
  
"I'm sorry, L-sama," she said. "I wasn't expecting it so soon."  
  
"It's OK, Lina," said the deity more warmly. "I know this is new to you, but I want you to realize that never will I send you to do something that is bad for you. Everything will work out. Such are the ways of chaos, incomprehensible to the one acted on."  
  
"I understand," said Lina, humbly. "How will I know him?"  
  
"Do to some tweaking," said L-sama mischievously. "He too is becoming a knight. It's up to you what you will plan to do. I'm just leading you to him. I'd be nice if you got along, after all, you'll be coworkers for a long time." Lina nodded. L-sama left and Lina went back to putting on her uniform for the ceremony.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos dreamt. He arrived in the same room that Lina had been, but he didn't know that. A young boy dressed in green appeared and motioned for him to follow. He did and they entered a room with a uniform, a mirror and other such things. When he turned around, the boy was gone, but in his stead, was the Lord of Nightmares.  
  
"Greetings, Xellos." she said. Xellos knelt on one knee before her and bowed his head. "You may rise, Xellos." He got up.  
  
"What would you need, L-sama?" asked Xellos.  
  
"I'm here to tell you. You will meet her here tonight." she said.  
  
"Tonight?" asked Xellos. He looked up surprised. He then looked down at his feet. "As you wish, Lord of Nightmares."  
  
"Thank you." said L-sama. "You will know her, for she will also become a Knight. If you want her, you can ignore her. Do as you wish, but do get along. You will be working together for a long time." She left the room. He sighed as he put on the uniform. That was it. No turning back. He would meet her, and that was that. He sighed again. Could anyone be as fiery as Lina? Nobody could. Meanwhile, outside...  
  
"Oh, Gourry! It's been so long!" said Sylphiel as she ran to him and hugged his arm. "How have you been?"  
  
"Oh, fine! Sylphiel, what about you?" asked Gourry sheepishly. "Why are we here again?" everyone face-falted. Zel got up.  
  
"Lina is becoming Chaos Knight." he said.  
  
"Mr. Zelgadisssss!!!" shouted Amelia. "Is Lina really alive?" She ran and gave him a huge hug.  
  
"Yeah, it seems that way." said Zel as he blushed beet red, remembering the picture Lina had drawn. Filia looked around her.  
  
"Hello!" she said. "Is Lina really alive?"  
  
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Everybody plugged their ears. "So, my sidekick, Lina Inverse, is really alive!"  
  
"Gracia??" asked Amelia, from beside Zelgadis.  
  
"Why Amelia! Hello! How are you?" said Naga as she bounced her way over.  
  
"Who is she?" asked Filia to Zelgadis.  
  
"Don't know. Amelia seems to know her, though." said Zel to Filia. "Amelia, who is she?"  
  
"She's Gracia, my long lost sister!" said Amelia, stars in her eyes.  
  
"Naga the White Serpent." said Naga triumphantly. Gourry's eyes followed her every movement closely. "At your services. So, you were little Lina's friends, huh?"  
  
"Uncle Zel, who are these people?" asked Riza after pulling her fingers from her ears.  
  
"Uncle Zel?" asked Amelia, Sylphiel, Filia and Gourry.  
  
"Hehe... um... well." said Zelgadis, putting one hand behind his head. "Um... yeah. These are  
  
friends of Lina. They are Riza, Rhea and Rowan. You three, these are friends of your Aunty Tirla."  
  
"Yeah, now I recognize them!" said Rhea. "They are the people in Aunty Lina's pictures!"  
  
"Yeah!" said Riza. "See? That lady is the one that was sitting..." Zel abruptly cut her off by covering her mouth.  
  
"Yes, they are the people in Lina's pictures!" he said. Immediately, everyone crowded around the two to talk to them and to know what Lina had been doing. The girls were reserved, though, and they didn't get much information. All of a sudden, there was a sound of the blaring of trumpets. From two side doors which Xellosa and Lina had entered, came a row (from each door) of little elves, dressed in green silk. Each one held a silver colored instrument. The people quickly sat down in the chairs and waited. The lights dimmed and in front of the chair, a blast of silver light exploded, leaving behind the Lord of Nightmares, in her more adult form, looking serious. Zelgadis looked around. Xellos wasn't around, which was weird. Had they had a fight again. Everything seemed fine during supper...  
  
"Welcome." said the Lord of Nightmares. "We are here for the swearing in of two loyal servants to Knights of Chaos. The title of Knight of Chaos is not held lightly and these two should be honored for their achievements. Please come forward, Celina Tirla Inverse and Xellos. Come and receive your Knighthood." From behind the opposite doors, both Lina and Xellos gasped on hearing this. But they quickly moved forward, as everyone turned to watch them.  
  
The two moved forward from the different corners of the room, meeting in the middle and then walking forward to kneel before the Lord of Nightmares. They were both wearing black uniforms, with silver cuffs and silver buttons. Lina's hair was let loose, cascading down her shoulders making a striking contrast. Both of them wore an unreadable expression on their faces as they walked. L-sama knighted them, giggling on the inside. She knew Lina would be happy, when she had time to think it over. Xellos would be happy also. It was so fun trying to get everything to match up.  
  
After the ceremony, Lina said hi to everyone and explained where she had been for the past two years, promising to tell them all later. They'd meet at Amelia's castle in a few days, and she'd explain, if she could. If not, then there were always dreams to fall back on. Xellos sat by himself in a corner, staring at Lina. Amazing, she was... but... Fate was supposed to be cruel. Of course, Fate had looked quite attractive the other day. He was startled when he saw a shadow fall over him. It was the Lord of Nightmares.  
  
"L-sama," he said politely. She sat beside him.  
  
"So, tell me... what do you think? I personally think you two are made for each other, you know." she said.  
  
"Thank you," he said softly. He still couldn't quite believe it. "It seems... I don't know,... unrealistic. Almost dreamish. Like I will wake up and it will be over." He laughed. "Of course it seems dreamish. This is happening in a dream." L-sama laughed with him.  
  
"Xellos, you need a staff, right?" asked L-sama. Xellos nodded. "Lina will need to 'upgrade' her demonsblood talismans. Tell you what. Take a break. I'll call you in exactly one week. Take time out, you'll need it. After this, we need to plan our next move. You know where I am, and Xellos?"  
  
"Yes?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Treat her well. You two look great together." she smiled and disappeared. Xellos nodded and smiled. He sat of two the side and looked at Lina. She looked up from talking with Rhea and saw his eyes on her. For some unexplainable reason, she blushed and walked softly towards him.  
  
"Hello, Xellos." she said shyly as she sat beside him.  
  
"Hello, Lina." he answered back as he smiled at her.  
  
"I didn't know you were going to be a Knight also. Why didn't you tell me about it?" asked Lina, in an inquiring tone.  
  
"I didn't know you were going to become Knight, Lina." he said.  
  
"But I sent you an invitation." she said, puzzled.  
  
"Now, that's strange, I did too!" he said. Then it dawned on them.  
  
"L-sama." said the two together. They laughed and Lina relaxed a little. She had known they had invited each other, and to save on paper or something, their invitations had been omitted. She had probably planned it.  
  
"You want to know something, Xellos?" she asked softly after a few moments of silence. L-sama had told her that Xellos was the one, and here she was, scared stiff. She was still scared, though. Her eyes were once again not looking at him.  
  
"What?" he asked. His eyes looked at Lina's friends. His only guest was Lina, and she was beside him at the moment. Fate had heard his pleas and had smiled on him. And Lina was in a good mood. The afternoon had been very nice. What else did he need? He had till eternity to be with her.  
  
"I'm glad we're Knights together." she said simply. She then mega blushed. Xellos smiled as he felt the heat radiating from her cheeks. Lina chan was so cute! But he wouldn't tell her that now. Who knows how she'd take it. Besides, he had a whole week.  
  
"You know what?" he asked as he took her hand in his. He, too, looked elsewhere but at Lina's eyes.  
  
"What? Sore wa himitsu desu?" she asked with a smile to show she was teasing as she looked at him.  
  
"Not really. I'm glad too." he said as he turned to look at her. He gently squeezed her hand. She smiled. He smiled. What was that phrase that Amelia always spouted off? Oh yeah, Life is wonderful! Or was it beautiful? Never mind, same difference...  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
OK, OK, OK, I didn't get everything that I wanted covered, but this was such a nice way to end the chapter. So, what do you think? Do you like it? I added more waff into this chapter. Why? Cause I love waff.... ^.^ That's me, a romantic at heart. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. What will happen next? I won't tell you, cause 1.) We authors are an unpredictable lot. 2.) Sore wa himitsu desu!^^  
  
Anyway, as usual, Comments and Criticisms are welcome. Drop me a review, if you want to tell me something. (encouragement is always nice) So yeah... all that! Any suggestions? Anything you really liked or really hated? Anyway, see ya next time around!  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Quotes...  
  
"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher." -Ambrose Pierce  
  
(It's a personal favorite!)  
  
"Though makes the greatness of man." -Blaise Pascal 


	11. All I Want is One Small, Insignificant T...

Slayers: To the End...  
By Hotaru  
  
Disclaimer...  
You know, I'm feeling lazy at the present moment. So, I'll make my disclaimer plain and simple. Slayers is not mine. I'm just borrowing their characters. But the story idea is. So there! ^^  
  
Chapter 11  
All I Want is One Small, Insignificant Thing...  
  
Lina woke up, feeling like as if she had just woken up from the most comfortable and relaxing sleep she had ever had. Never before could she remember such a restful sleep, such a warm coziness in her blankets, her heart so at peace... So she did the most probable thing under the circumstances... she groaned.  
"I don't want to wake up..." she muttered to herself. She had been so warm and comfortable... She rolled over and threw the covers on top of her head. Her eyes closed once more. Unfortunately for her... her rest was short. There was a loud and obnoxious rap on the door. "Go away," she muttered, hoping that they'd listen to her. There it was again. Someone was asking to be Fireballed... She stumbled out of bed and opened the door and glared through half-lidded eyes at the person who dared wake her up at such an hour.  
Xellos just stared. He was quite unaccustomed to seeing this. Lina stood in front of him, more asleep than awake. She was wearing a red pajama combo... red chinese collared shirt and red pants, with little fireballs and dragons embroidered on it. Her hair was tussled and looked like a mess. And she was glaring at him, a fireball in hand... She could pass off as cute, had it not been for the threat to do anyone bodily harm type of aura around her...  
"Oh, hi, Lina!" he said in a very chirpy voice. He also said it nervously as he eyed the ball of fire in her hand.  
"Morning..." she growled. The fireball grew again. "You have fifteen seconds to explain what you're doing, waking me up at this time." Xellos winced... obviously it was a bad idea to wake her up like this. No wonder Zelgadis had told him to do it... tricky Zel, so like a Mazoku at times...  
"Um...jeje..." said Xellos. He put a hand behind his head and looked sheepishly for a moment.  
"Thirteen, twelve, eleven..." counted Lina.  
"Um... jeje.. it's... um, time for breakfast!" he crossed his fingers. Hopefully, Lina would react favorably at that. Her counting stopped. She eyed him suspiciously and then carefully sniffed the air. Her eyes brightened, her whole face changed into a radiance Xellos couldn't describe. Gone where her half lidded eyes; In their stead where glowing rubies, or recently stoked coals. Whatever it was, her eyes glowed... they could light a room with light in the darkests of nights.  
"FOOD!!!" she shouted. With a whoop, she turned and slamned the door into Xellos's face. Xellos stood stunned. Lina sure was scary in the early morn... He heard sounds of running and the rustle of cloth from within her room. Within moments, seconds really, she was out, dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a red vest. She grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her to the dining room to have her justly deserved breakfast. Xellos just grinned as he trailed behind her and got bumped around on the stairs.  
Breakfast was a lively affair. Lina gobbled up everything in sight. Eggs, ham, sausages, bread, fruit... all went into the bottomless well we shall for now call Lina Inverse. Zelgadis stared at the diminishing pile of food. He had thought he had cooked enough breakfast, but Lina was on a roll like he had never ever seen before. He stood up.  
"Um... I'll go to the kitchen and make some more..." he said hesitantly, not quite sure if Lina would here him.  
"Sure!" said Lina in between bites. "And could you get some more of these sausage thingies? They're good!" She waved her fork at him and continued strong. Xellos just smiled as he sipped his.... yep, you guessed it, cup of tea. Zel just sweatdropped. He muttered to himself under his breath...  
'How pathetic, reduced to cooking for Lina...' He walked to the kitchen to cook up another storm for Her Highness...  
Xellos smiled... he was smiling a lot these past few days... not being a Mazoku anymore helped also! Now he could feast on any feeling when in Mazoku form! And Lina's happiness and satisfaction were exquisite.  
"Ne, Lina... how are you?" he asked. No answer came. It seemed Lina had not heard him. That was understandable of course... Lina was busy... eating. He'd bide his time and wait. He had a whole week, now, all he had to do was be patient. How boring, be patient...  
Zelgadis walked back in with a tray laden full with goodies. Lina's eyes brightened once more.  
"Thanks Zel!" she said as she dug in eagerly. Zel smiled slightly and sat down also.  
"So, Lina, when will we leave for Seyruun?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He really wanted to speak to her privately. There were three million questions floating around in his head.  
"Dunno..." she said as she ate some more. Then her head whipped up and she looked at him slyly... "Missing Amelia already?" Her eyes twinkled. Zel blushed. Lina giggled, Xellos laughed.  
"Why so shy, Zel?" asked Xellos. Zelgaids looked up at the sound of his laughter.  
"I never knew a Mazoku could laugh..." said Zelgadis. Lina smiled.  
"He isn't a Mazoku exactly...." started Lina. She thought at Xellos...[right?]  
[Of course not, Lina dear,] thought Xellos, as he continued to look mysterious. [After all, both of us are Chaos Knights...]  
"Interesting," said Zelgadis as he looked at both of them. "So, Lina, I guess you're not exactly human anymore, right? Same as Xellos..." Lina nodded solemnly. She grinned as she remembered something... a conversation she had with a certain chimera who wanted to be human... she'd have to talk to Xellos about that.  
"Hey, Zel..." she said. "Why don't you go up and prepare the bags and things to go to Seyruun. We can leave as soon as that is finished. I have a few notices for the mayor and Xellos and I will clean up the dishes." Zel nodded, and Lina was left alone with Xellos.  
After Xellos was sure Zel was gone, he looked at Lina inquisitively.  
"I assume you wanted to get Zel out... what for?"  
"I just want to speak to you privately..." she said and smiled. She grabbed a few plates and took them to the kitchen. "Help me bring the bowls in. I'll wash, you rinse, 'k?" she asked. Xellos grinned. Lina had a small secret, and she wanted to talk to him... let's see... what could he do to make this a little more interesting?  
The two stood silently beside each other, washing and drying the disheds. Lina had put her hair up into a ponytail, to stop it from getting into the water or bothering her. Xellos looked at her out of the corner of his eye... she looked so sporty and youthful like that...  
"So, Lina, what did you want to talk about?" he asked while drying a dish.  
"Well, as Knights of Chaos.... we have more power, right?" she asked.  
"Of course, Lina!" said Xellos. Lina wanted to talk about business... oh well. There were other oppertunities.  
"I have a favor to ask you..." she said. Xellos smiled... a bargaining chip! Maybe....  
"And what would that be?" asked Xellos, as he smiled at Lina. Lina stopped and looked at him.  
"I know, I know... if you do this, I'll owe you something, but not something big, 'k???" she asked. Xellos grinned.  
"You know me too well," he said. "So, what can I do to help my Lina chan." Lina flushed at the 'my Lina chan' part of his sentence... was it that obvious she had fallen for him? But just in case, she would guard her emotions more... now, if she could keep her face from burning.  
"Well, you know, Zel had been looking for his cure for a long time, right?" asked Lina. Xellos nodded and looked at her. She gulped... whenever he looked at her with open eyes, it just made her knees tremble. "Well, I've found a way to do it."  
"Ah... how good!" he said. "So, what would you like me to do?"  
"The thing is, ineedyourhelptocastthespell.couldyouhelpmeplease?"  
"What was that, Lina chan?" asked Xellos. He could feel her embarrasement, and it was quite tasty, delicious...  
"i wanted to ask your help in casting the spell..." she asked quietly. Gosh, she hated asking like this. If she had it her way, she'd pound him into the floor until he conceded... Hey! That was a good idea... if he wanted to tease her, he'd bite the floor... Xellos smiled. Now that he'd teased Lina enough, he'd concede... and she would owe him something.  
"Of course, I'll help you, my Lina chan..." he said. Then he smiled. "But remember, you owe me something!" He grinned at her. Lina rolled her eyes. They quickly finished.  
"But let's keep this a surprise for Zel! We can pretend we totally forgot... and do it when he least expects it." said Xellos, his eyes twinkling mischiviously.  
"Sure," said Lina. She too grinned. Xellos transported both of them to the Astral Plane. Lina looked around them. "Where are we? Why are we here?"  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. Lina fumed. "Just kidding. We're here to learn the spell. You have your book, right?" Lina nodded and brought out the spell book. Xellos caused a sofa to appear and they sat side by side learning the spell. Xellos smiled. It was nice to be this close to her and not have her explode on him. Lina smiled also. It was nice to be beside the fruitcake and have him behave so gentlemanly. She stifled a yawn and leaned slightly against him as she mouthed the words to herself. Xellos froze but then smiled gently. He put his arm around her slowly and carefully. No reaction from Lina, except she leaned on him a little more. This was nice, nobody to bother them...  
Talking about people to bother them...  
Zel looked around the house. It was the third time he had searched for them. He heard the saying, 'Third time is the charm', but in this case, it wasn't working. Where in the world where Lina and Xellos? Wait, Lina and Xellos...  
'Oh my goodness...' thought Zel. Them? What in the world was happening? 'No, it can't be! Lina and Xellos? That's a laugh! They're probably training or maybe the Lord of Nightmares called them. Yeah, that's probably it.' And with that, Zel went to his room to read a book and to wait for Lina and Xellos to come from their mission.  
Lina and Xellos finally came back. They smiled and chatted quietly, as they thought about Zel. It would be best to turn him back the day before arriving at Seyruun, or better yet, turn him into a human with Amelia present!!! Lina smiled and went to do chores and write notes, leaving behind instructions in case there was another invasion or attack on behalf of the Tarzokus. Xellos went to his room and saw Zelgadis.  
"What took you so long?" asked Zelgadis.  
"Sorry!" said Xellos with a smile on his face and one hand behind his head. "Sore wa himitsu desu! Mission from L-sama!" It wasn't a lie, not technically. Zelgadis accepted it. Xellos grinned. This was so fun!  
The next day, bright and early, they left Seerin. Once again, Lina and Zel and Xellos received a tearful farewell from the villagers.  
"Are you leaving again?" asked Riza, tears starting to form in her eyes as she hung on to Lina's left leg.  
"I'll come back when I can. And if I can't, I'll see when I can visit you." said Lina with a twinkle in her eye.  
"But how?" asked Rhea, who was hanging on to Xellos's leg.  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" chimed Lina and Xellos together. They looked at each other with a surprised look on their faces and turned to look elsewhere. Zel grinned and looked at the little munchkin who was hanging on to his leg.  
"So, Rowan," he said. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"  
"I want to be just like you!" she said with a smile. "If I can become a chimera, then physical attacks won't work against me. And since I'll be made of rock, I'll have a special affinity with earth based spells! And, I'll have increased speed and strength! And I won't get scraped elbows or knees... and I won't get cut as easily! What do you think?" Lina and Xellos smiled. Rowan had basically pointed out the good things about being a chimera that he wouldn't admit helped him.  
"You want to be like me?" asked Zelgadis, with wonder. She nodded.  
"I like Shamanist magic! It's cool!" she said. "And I like the color bluish purple!!!" Zelgadis felt himself touched. Such a small girl, full of naivete and care...  
"I wish you the best of luck in the path you choose, Rowan." he said warmly. "And if I never get a chance to tell you this again... you are very special, never loose your own self." He hugged her. Rowan diddn't understand, but hugged him back.  
"What about us, Uncle Zel?" asked Riza and Rhea. "Aren't we special too?"  
"Yes, you all are special!" he said and gave each of them a hug. Xellos and Lina grinned. And what was so scary, was that they grinned in the same way, not that anyone really noticed, except the two who did it.  
[Ne, Lina. Copycat!] thought Xellos to Lina.  
[You should feel flattered I'm imitating you.] thought Lina to Xellos.  
[Remember, Lina chan, you owe me something! I'm collecting tonight!] thought Xellos. Lina glared at him.  
[Yeah, I know.... but remember, something small.] thought Lina.  
[It'll be small,] thought Xellos. [But it'll mean a lot to me.] He grinned. Lina started to wonder to herself what it was going to be.  
They rode out on their horses towards Seyruun. At the rate they were riding, they would arrive at Seyruun in two days. They set up camp, and of course, Lina took the first watch, and Xellos took the second watch. Lina wanted to have undisturbed rest. Xellos didn't really sleep, so taking the second watch would be easy for him. Zelgadis always woke up early, so third watch was easy. He also liked undisturbed rest.  
Lina rested against the rough bark of a tree at the camp. The fire was small and cast small shadows on everything. Lina smiled slightly and took out her journal and began to write in it. She had so much to catch up on, what with all the Knight business and fighting...what's his face? Migros? Meram? Something like that. She should have written it down some time ago... but she had forgotten to. Oh well... She all of sudden felt a tickling sensation travel up her spine. Lina looked up and slammed her book shut. She glared at Xellos.  
[What do you want?] she asked. [It's not your turn yet.] She hoped he hadn't read anything. He grinned.  
[Nothing much,] he said. He grinned. [I came to collect.]  
[Oh, yeah,] she thought. [I forgot... so, what do you want?] Just get it over with....  
[Stand up Lina, and close your eyes.] thought Xellos. Lina stared at him.  
[Don't worry... it's nothing bad!]  
[Well...ok...] She put her journal in her cape and then stood up slowly, not quite sure what to expect.  
[Close your eyes, Lina!]  
[OK, make it quick, though.] thought Lina as she closed her eyes.  
Xellos smiled softly. It was so nice of Lina to go along with this. It was true, it was only one small thing he would have of her... just one small thing that would mean the world to him. And she was freely giving it to him. Of course, she didn't know what it was, but that was beside the point. What was important was that she wasn't blasting him into a treetrunk. He took a deep breath and laid his hands on her shoulders, resting them lightly, feeling them move as she breathed easily. She trust him so much, it was quite amazing. Amazing how everything had seemed to change since the swearing in. How everything had changed after the Lord of Nightmares had visited him and turned his life upside down. Not that that was bad, mind you... He slowly tilted her face upward, with his ungloved fingers. He could feel her shiver beneath his touch... He slowly brought his face down...  
Lina thought... furiously... What was the fruitcake planning on doing now? Why didn't he just hurry and cut off this suspense?!?! And why in the world was she doing this?  
'Because I promised', thought Lina to herself.  
'Why did I promise?' she asked her conscience.  
'Cause you know he won't hurt you.'  
'OK,'  
She jumped lightly and fought to control her breathing when he felt his hands on her shoulders. Finally! He was getting around to.... to doing what?  
'Oh, you know what will happen.' said a voice in her.  
'No I don't!' she thought to herself.  
'Yes you do! And so, what are you gonna do when he does...?'  
'I have no idea what you're talking about!' she shouted mentally at her conscience. She felt his fingers tilt her face upward, his fingers silky and gentle against her soft skin. She shivered... in anticipation for what? She knew her conscience was laughing her butt off... she wet her lips in anticipation to something that might happen, since she wasn't really sure of what was going to happen...  
Xellos closed his eyes and steeled himself for giving the quickest kiss in history. Afterall, most people didn't have to worry about the other fireballing them,... He was so close. A foot turned into half. Four inches, three, two.... He heard a gasp, that did not come from Lina or him. He checked and snapped his fingers as he realized that Zel had woken up. He quickly vanished.  
Lina's eyes snapped open and she notice two things. Xellos had vanished, and Zel had woken up and was staring at her quizically.  
"Ne, Lina... what were you and Xellos doing?" he asked, half asleep. Lina quickly made up a little white lie, that was halfway true...  
"Xellos? What about him? I don't see him around!" she said hurriedly. Zel looked at her suspiciously.  
"You sure? I could have sworn you and Xellos were right there, looking like as if you were going to kiss..." said Zel. Lina turned bright red.  
"Where did you get that?" she asked, hoping that Zel wouldn't follow up by asking why her face was all red. "I was just standing here, seeing if there were any clouds up there!" Zelgadis seemed to accept it and immediatly rolled over to sleep. Lina let out a sigh of relief. One small crisis had been adverted. She looked around and decided that Xellos was probably gone for good, for now... So she jumped up a tree and set up watch from there. It was a good look out. High, where most people didn't care to look. It had an unobsturcted view of the whole camp. She sighed and leaned agaisnt the bark. She was sort of dissapointed. She had been excited about what was happening. Had it not been for Zel, ....what would have happened? She gave an audible melancholic sound as she leaned against the tree, only to realize she was leaning against Xellos who had just then reappeared.  
[Ne, Lina chan, sorry for that. Ready?] Lina jumped slightly and blushed. Xellos felt the heat waves radiating from her cheeks. He imagined how they looked...  
[I guess so, ] she thought back to him. He offered her his hand and she took it. Xellos quietly pulled her up after him and bid her to close her eyes again. She gulped and shut her eyes, her cheeks bright red, and her heart beating fast from the tension. Once more, his hands rested on her shoulders. He carefully lifted her face up, just as softly and gently as the first, like the first time. With out further ado, her brought his face down and finally did kiss her, a small one, on her lips.  
It was like the rustle of silk, the swish of an angels's wings, the flutter of a butterfly, the dance of a fairy, the falling of snow and dewdrops... gentle in all its ways, and soft, and sweet. And over too quickly, Lina felt.  
Lina looked up when he broke the kiss, but Xellos had vanished again. What else was there to expect? She sat down and smiled goofily as she stared off into the middle of nowhere. She jumped down and grabbed her journal from her cape as she made herself comfortable leaning against the tree trunk. Her fingers flew, her pen's strokes marking the paper soflty. She was happy, content to boot! And when her shift was over, she gave a silent call to Xellos and fell asleep before Xellos appeared, once more clutching her journal, as if it were a treasure trove. Besides, she had no idea what to say or how to react... she'd ask him later, when she got herself calmed down a bit.  
Xellos felt her call. He appeared and watched her smiling form in her sleeping bag. She had curled up and was holding her journal to her. So sweet, so innocent looking... He wondered what she thought... he had immediatly vanished, since he didn't really want to force her to do something she wasn't ready to do... talk about the kiss... So, he did the next best thing to find out what she thought. He levitated the journal softly out of her grasp and opened it to the right day. He smiled. Lina had drawn a smiles and flowers all over the place. And he put it back... Lina chan was so sweet. It was nice. He brushed her hair and reveled in its softness... Yep, Lina chan was so sweet... And what was sweeter about all of this, was that she was HIS Lina chan. He kissed her forehead lightly before sitting high up in a tree to keep a look out.  
  
Author's Notes...  
Well, how do you do? Hope you enjoyed this chapter... yes, finally, a small kis... cause I think they're so sweet! Besides, I can't see them starting a nice relationship with each other with a french kiss or playing tonsil hockey...^^ Or, with Xellos doing anything inapropriate, ie... a lemon... I can imagine Lina blasting Xellos silly if he tried anything indescent, though. ^^ Besides, I want to make this clear, starting from here.... I don't write lemons.... especially pre-marital ones...^^ So there, I have made a stand... you know what to expect, or in this case, what not to expect. There are enough Xel/Lina lemons out there to whet your appetite if you want something like that. Now that I've gotten off my soapbox...^^  
Well, thanks for the reviews! I just realized I had stopped thanking you guys in my notes... sorry! Gomen ne! Thanks to all of you who do write! I really love reading reviews, (who wouldn't?) and they inspire me to write! Thank you, people! Thanks!!!!!  
Well, next chapter won't be out till the end of May... why? Classes are almost over here... we end around the 25th of May or so... which means I have finals and AP exams and SATs to worry about.... That, and I just got a writer's block, again!!! I'll try to get the next one out by the end of May or beginning of June... yeah, I know... it's one month... if I don't feel like doing homework, I'll see if I can post something before then...^^ Don't hold you're breath, though...  
  
Till then! H. Kimiko L.!  
  
Quote...  
"Don't stick metal forks in outlets, while the sparks are pretty, the pain is not." - Lin-san 


	12. Pillow Fights and Catharsis...

Slayers: To the End...  
By H. Kim L.  
(if you haven't noticed, i like writing my name differently every time...)  
  
Disclaimer...  
You know... I wish I could work in the companies that do the animes and stuff! That would be so fun! I might even meet the creators! I bet being a seiyuu is very fun... oh yeah, Slayers doesn't belong to me...^^  
  
Chapter 12  
Pillow Fights and Catharsis...  
  
"Idiot! Fool!"  
  
"..."  
  
"Nothing to say for yourself? No excuse? Nothing?" There was silence... Madabar paced in front of Megrim, her tail swishing angrily behind her, as it whipped to and fro. "You go and kidnapp Xellos... and allow him to escape! But you steal his staff, so, good for you. Then, I send you to go after him again, and what do I see?" Megrim did not say a word. His clothes were in tatters, and there were still smudges of ash and dirt and dust on him. There were a few new scars on his face where the orb's shards had struck his face and run gashes into his once smooth skin.  
  
"I had to get you out of there, you know..." said Madabar. "You do know what you'd be right now, had I not saved your sorry butt from Inverse and the Priest. You'd be dust, ashes, whatever except whole and complete! Oh, and of course, I can't forget a broken staff. You had to go and get his staff broken also, I suppose, to make your humiliation complete? To go down in style?"  
  
Megrim seethed under the tirade, and what was worse, he knew that she was right. How he hated it when anyone other than him was right...  
  
"I don't even know why in the world Zelas stuck you with me!" seethed Madabar. "You're an incompetent fool, Megrim! From now on, you're not going out! Oh, and Zelas is in the other room, waiting to talk with you." Megrim's face paled. He nodded stiffly and entered the side room. He knew his sister was going to make Madabar's tirade look like a pep talk. So, he walked slowly towards his doom.   
Megrim opened the door and winced as he took a whiff of the smell. She had been drinking again, but more than usual. The whole room stunk of grapes and wine. Wine and Zelas were a pair that just didn't separate, unless she was drinking orange juice... Anyway, wine was a good indicator of what mood she was in. Lot's of wine meant either, very good mood, or very bad mood. And guessing from the way her eyes glinted like steel and the tense atmosphere of the room, she had been drinking because she was in a bad mood...  
  
"Sit." she said, her eyes cold. In her hand, she held an elegant wine goblet, half filled with wine. He gulped and quickly sat on the stiff wooden chair in the room. She was wearing a long evening gown type of dress. A dress that fit like a glove, and trailed behind her like a pool of blood. In case you were wondering, the dress was indeed, blood red. How fitting, wouldn't you think?  
  
"What is the meaning of what I've heard?" she asked quietly. Too quietly for Megrim's tastes. "Correct me if I'm wrong. You swiped Xellos, and tortured him, going against orders if I may add, trying to get your power back. You take his staff. He escapes. You go after him again. Attack Seerin. Get a bunch of our minions killed, and you don't even come back with Xellos. Or Lina, or a hostage or a whole and unharmed staff?" Megrim nodded. He hoped he'd just die and vanish, to not have to deal with this.  
  
"How dare you even come back?" she hissed. "By the way, the room is sealed. You can say what you wish. Scream as loud as you can, and no one will hear you...brother..."  
  
"Forgive me, Zelas." he said softly.  
  
"Forgive you?" she said softly. She laughed, a mad almost insane laugh. Coming from her, it almost sounded happy. "It's nice to know you haven't lost your sense of humor." Megrim strove to put on a brave face.  
  
"I'm sorry." he said. "It won't happen again."  
  
"You know, that's so true. It won't happen again. And you know why?" she took a long sip from her glass. Megrim gulped. "No guesses? Oh well, I'll tell you. That, is a secret! Well, no... not really. Nice getting to talk to you before you die!"  
  
Madabar looked up at the sudden inflection of power that came from the room. Bright light could be seen under the door and all of a sudden... nothing. Zelas had gone, and nothing was left. For a few seconds, she almost felt, sad...Sure, he was an incompetent fool, but no matter what, no one deserved to have to deal with Zelas like that. Just another reason to add to her list of Reasons Why I Should Kill Zelas. She smiled... time was almost up for the Beastmaster.  
Zelas frowned. She needed a spy into Madabar's group, to make sure it went well. Who could she send? She flipped the little jewel that contained her brother. She stared at it thoughtfully, and a small plan formed in her head. She flipped the jewel once more into the air.  
*****  
  
"We finally made it to Seyruun!" said Lina as she made it to the top of the hill. It was a very pretty view. Seyruun lay before her, looking so serene and peaceful... Xellos and Zelgadis rode up after her.  
  
"It's been years since I've been here." she said quietly. Xellos looked at her happily. Lina hadn't really said anything about the kiss since the other night. He didn't mind, not too much... well, that's what he told himself. Lina seemed, like herself. Violent, and on the move and cute and studious at the same time, which meant, of course, no talking about emotions.  
Zelgadis looked at Lina and thought about different things. He thought back to the three million times he had tried to talk to her. Every time, though... something had happened.  
  
FLASHBACKS...  
#1  
"Hey, Lina!" said Zelgadis. "Can I have a word with you?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Um, I was wondering, have you been..." started Zelgadis.  
  
"Yeah?" asked Lina, she asked as she looked back at him.  
  
"Well... about... Lina watch out!" said Zel.  
  
"Huh, what? Aaaaagh!" screamed Lina. She ran into a low hanging branch.  
#2  
  
"Lina are you better now?" asked Zel. Lina just looked at him. The bump on her forehead was gone, due to Zel's white magic abilities. Not that Lina couldn't do white magic. She was to lazy to cast it on herself.  
  
"Thanks." said Lina with a smile. This time, she made sure to keep looking ahead. "Anyway, you were saying something?"  
  
"Yeah,... I was wondering..." started Zel once more. "About... well, a something you said..."  
  
"Yeah?" asked Lina.  
  
"Ne Lina, you're it!" said Xellos as he ran by her and tagged her. He also took her journal.  
  
"Xellos!!!!! Give that back right now!!!!" shouted Lina as she spurred her horse after Xellos. "XELLOS!!!!!" Zel was left staring at her retreating back.  
#3  
  
They had set up camp that night. What was so amazing was that neither Lina nor Xellos were about. He shrugged. Now he couldn't really talk to her. He sighed. When was he ever going to be able to talk to her? It was almost as if Lina were trying to avoid him... maybe he should try asking Xellos... yeah right!  
END FLASHBACK...  
  
He'd get to see Amelia today. He saw her in his dreams a few days ago, during the Chaos thing... She'd looked very nice. He was glad that Gourry and her were doing so well. Gourry was an excellent bodyguard. Maybe after all this crazyness, he'd stick around Seyruun for a while. Travelling by yourself wasn't the healthiest thing. Now, to remind Lina to turn him back into a human being...  
Lina smiled. She looked back and waved laughed.  
  
"Bet you can't beat me to the palace on horse!" she shouted as she spurred her horse onward.  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Zel, before he galloped after her. Xellos also galloped after her, smiling. He could feel Zel's exasperation about not being able to talk to Lina.  
Zel beat them all to the palace. Lina pouted as she rode up.  
  
"Good race, Zel." she said. Her hair was a mess and was now flying all over the place in the wind. Xellos rode up, slowly.  
  
"Hi!" he said with a smile. They finally went into the palace and greeted Amelia and Gourry, who had arrived the day before.  
  
"Miss Lina! Mr. Zelgadis!" shouted Amelia as she ran to hug the two. "Oh, and hi, Mr. Xellos." feeling a little uncomfortable around him.  
  
"No hug for me, Amelia?" asked Xellos in a joking manner, his predictable grin on his face. She looked down. "Just joking, princess!" He grinned again. Amelia all of a sudden got more businesslike as Gourry came wandering in, a chicken leg in his hand.  
  
"Yo, Lina! What's up, Zel?" he asked as he waved the food at them. "Hello.... um... oh yeah! Xellos!"  
  
"Hello to you too, Gourry." said Xellos. Zel nodded. Lina stared. He was waving a grilled piece of chicken, marinated with Seyruun palace's special sauce... Her mouth watered. She smiled impishly and vanished from sight as she went to the kitchen to get some food. She reappeared three seconds later, with a whole plateful of food. Then, she said hi to everyone.  
  
"Hello!" she said as she tore into another piece of chicken. Amelia sweatdropped. Gourry smiled and took another piece from her plate. At least, he tried to.  
  
"Mine!" said Lina as she whirled around. She ran into Xellos, who was close behind her. Xellos steadied her and the plate. "Oh, thanks..." she mumbled, all red in the face. Xellos smiled at her.  
  
"No problem, Lina!" he said chirpily. With that, he took a piece of chicken and disappeared.  
  
"Xellos!" shouted Lina, trying to be mad and angry. For some reason, she couldn't restrain a twinkle in her eyes and the slight turning up of the corners of her mouth. She laughed a bit. "Fine, take it!" she shouted in mock anger as she shook her fist at thin air. Xellos's laughing voice could be heard.  
  
"OK!" she said as she turned around to face three shocked people. "We'll talk after supper! Lot's of things to do! See ya! Call me when it's time for supper!" she said and she marched to a guest room around there.  
  
"Um... lead Ms. Lina to a guest room, please." said Amelia to a servant who was near there. He nodded and quickly followed Lina.  
The three stood there silently.  
  
"Ne, Lina has changed a lot." said Amelia. Gourry thought for a while.  
  
"You know..." he started. "That's true! She isn't as flat chested anymore!" Amelia and Zel sweatdropped.  
  
"No, I meant as in personality wise..." said Amelia weakly.  
  
"Oh, not really." said Zelgadis. "She's about the same as before."  
  
"I agree with Amelia!" said Gourry. "She didn't fireball me yet!"  
  
"That's because you haven't insulted her or her body yet." said Zel dryly.  
  
"But I didn't do that before either!" he said innocently. He looked thoughtful while he chewed a piece of meat. "She's changed! Well, in that, at least. But she's still the spunky, and overly active Lina we used to know! Besides, she said to call her for supper, so she's still the same as before."  
  
"That's true," said Zel, amazed that Gourry was talking halfway seriously at the present moment.  
  
"Um... Mr. Zelgadis?" asked Amelia, looking a little worried. "What's Mr. Xellos doing here also?"  
  
"Oh, didn't you notice him at the Knight of Chaos thing?" asked Zel.  
  
"Yeah, I saw him there." said Amelia. "But why is he travelling with you? And why are you three together? I mean, isn't it dangerous?"  
  
"I don't know." said Zel. "I think I trust him a little more."  
  
"What about Xellos? Why wouldn't you trust him? He seems like a nice guy!" said Gourry.  
  
"Don't you remember all the times he tricked us?" asked Amelia.  
  
"He did?" asked Gourry. He scratched his head, as a question mark appeared above him. "You know something strange? I don't remember that!" Amelia and Zel sweatdropped.  
  
"Anyway, he's not really a Mazoku anymore..." said Zel. "I mean, he's like Lina, a little. Both are Chaos's Knights. That changes one, I'm sure. Besides, he works for L-sama now, not Beastmaster."  
  
"Yeah, but before, he always had a little secret agenda..." said Amelia, not quite sure what to take of Xellos's changes. "I mean... I don't know... I guess if you and Ms. Lina trust him, I can too, for the time being..."  
  
"You know something?" asked Gourry all of a sudden. Zel and Amelia looked at him strangely, expecting something stupid.  
  
"What?" asked Zel trying to sound interested.  
  
"You know... if it weren't the fact that it's Lina we're talking about..." said Gourry. Zel sighed... he obviously hadn't realized they were talking about the Mazoku... or ex-Mazoku. "... it seemed to me, that well... not that I'm an expert in these things..."  
  
"Yes?" asked Amelia, encouraging him on.  
  
"... but I remember my sister acted weird just like Lina did... my older sister, that is... and my mom said something weird..."  
  
"Yes?" asked Zel. If he wasn't careful, he'd get lost in the deluge of words bursting forth from Gourry's mouth.  
  
"...not that that has anything to do with it...Anyway, if it weren't Lina, I would almost think she was... what was that word again? oh yeah!... flirting with Xellos!" Amelia stared at Zelgadis, who stared back at her. For once, Gourry had something quite intelligent. And sort of made sense. After all, had been anyone else, they would all have agreed, she was flirting. With Lina, though... it was different. Lina didn't flirt... at least, not the Lina they knew... Lina, flirt? Yeah right! But, had it been someone else... yeah... it was possible. But Lina? Nah...  
*****  
Lina hummed to herself softly as she put her stuff away. She was wearing her trademark adventurer's clothes... but in a castle, they felt akward. Which was why she had her other clothes to fall back on. Cloak and tights came off, soon replaced with loose shirt and pants, and of course, her long white researcher's coat.... yeah, the one that was sleeveless and had huge pockets. She stared at herself in the mirror. She smiled.  
  
"My, my, my... who are we smiling for?" asked Xellos as he popped into the room. Lina turned around, her smile replaced by a skeptical face.  
  
"Don't you ever knock?" she asked in an annoyed tone of voice. Xellos grinned.  
  
"NWB! No way baby!" he said with a smile. Lina stared. "Something wrong?"  
  
"No... nothing." said Lina as she shook her head. "It's just that you usually don't say things like that."  
  
"Just trying to fit into my new role as one of the most chaotic people in the universe and an ex-mazoku who can all of a sudden survive someone screaming into his ear 'Life is beautiful'." Lina looked at him, her face turning serious.  
  
"Is it hard?" she asked. She sat down on her bed. "I mean, does it take time getting used to all of this?" Xellos looked thoughtful for a while.  
  
"I don't know. I guess a little. I didn't have such a wide gamut of emotions before... now, I can feel other things and even enjoy them at times. Like laughing..." he said. He sat down across from Lina on a chair.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Lina. She couldn't really say she understood what he was going through... but he was the chosen one for her, and she'd start off on the right foot with him.  
  
"I don't think there's much..." said Xellos. "You've already done enough, Lina chan..." Lina blushed at that. The sudden use of that name brought back memories she hadn't dealt with yet. She looked down shyly. Xellos was surprised to see the delicate red shade tinting her cheeks.  
  
"Wow... Lina Inverse, blushing?" he asked softly, in a teasing tone. She got even redder.  
  
"Am not," she said with out much conviction. He got closer to her and lifter her chin up with his finger.  
  
"Yeah, you're blushing...!" he said in a childlike voice. Lina rolled her eyes and bopped him on the head. "You know, that's one of the things I haven't felt yet."  
  
"You should give it a try," said Lina sarcastically as she stood up and controlled her reactions. But she couldn't control the expression of her eyes and how they twinkled with repressed mirth. Xel followed her around. Lina abruptly turned around to face him.  
  
"You said I did enough already..." she said hesitantly. "As in good or bad?"  
  
"Good, Lina chan, don't worry." he said with a smile.  
  
"What is it with calling me Lina chan every three seconds?" asked Lina.  
  
"Cause it suits you!" he said. His eyes also glittered, and Lina smiled. She rolled her eyes once more.  
  
"ANYWAY..." she said. "What did I do?" She was curious. He said she'd helped him, and she wanted to know how, so she could repeat it or know what to stay away from. Of course, this was only to start off on the right foot, and yeah... get to know him better, and all that junk... uh huh!  
  
"You really want to know?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Of course!" she said. She looked around casually and decided to be honest with him on some aspects. Just open up a little. "I want to help you... so that it's easier for you." Lina walked to her dresser and started to buckle on her talismans. Xellos felt himself get serious. Lina was serious about it... she really wanted to help him... he felt,... oddly touched... moved. It made him feel happy. So far, it seemed to be going all right. Well, he wouldn't be the one to break it if he could.  
  
"Well, sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. Lina rolled her eyes once more and threw a pillow at his head after putting on her talismans. Xellos, who had his eyes closed in the trademark position to deliver the phrase, didn't see it coming and got hit in the face.  
  
"Lina, that wasn't nice!" he said and threw another pillow at her. Lina, who had turned her back on him got hit.  
  
"Oh yeah!" she said in a challenging voice. She grabbed more pillows and wacked him with it. Xellos laughed... Oh, the sound of laughter was great! And so was the feeling one got when they laughed, full of satisfaction and contentment... he grabbed more pillows and retaliated with his own attack. Lina shrieked and ducked the onslaught of pillows. She ran and jumped on to the bed and tossed the covers on him. He got entangled and then she jumped on him and whacked him with a pillow.  
Xellos, who was under the covers at the moment, squirmed around, trying to get out. When he felt Lina's weight on him, he smiled evilly. He pushed her back with all his might, and got the tables turned, as he was now on the top and her under the covers. And... he was pinning her arms down. Lina laughed and tried to get free, but Xellos didn't let go. He manouvered her hands so that he could hold them with one hand... she had such slim wrists... Lina, of course, struggled even harder, but to no avail. And then, to make sure that Lina wouldn't accidentally kick him, he pinned her feet down with one leg.  
  
"Hey, Xellos... what are you planning?" asked Lina as she tried to get free. Her voice was muffled from the covers. Xellos grinned. "Let me go!"  
  
"Nope!" he said. "Not until you plead for mercy and state the Xellos is the coollest!"  
  
"Never!" she said jokingly. Xellos grinned.  
  
"So, playing tough, are we?" he asked evilly. Lina felt the hairs on the back of her head rise, even though it was getting hot under the blanket. All of a sudden, she couldn't feel him on top anymore, but when she tried to move, she found that he had placed a spell on her to not escape.  
  
"Xellos!!! Come here right now, or else..." she said.  
  
"Or else what?" cut in Xellos as he took the blanket off her. She gasped. There was her bed, but it looked modified... with clasps for one's wrists and ankles. She gulped.  
  
"Um... Xellos? What are you planning?" she asked nervously. He just grinned and moved her to the bed, clasping her to it. "Xellos..." she asked, not quite sure. She was put spread out on the bed. He slowly took off her socks, reveiling dainty little feet. Lina stared at him... no... Xellos wasn't like that... she hoped... He wouldn't...  
Xellos grinned at her... he was really enjoying all the fear and excitement coming from her. He impishly got close to her and kissed her nose. She mega blushed.  
  
"You'll see," he whispered huskily. Lina felt her heart skip a beat. She tried to take a big calming breath... Xellos wasn't a perv, he wouldn't do anything indecent... she hoped. Xellos took something from his cape. Lina's eyes widened when she saw what it was... a feather... And it wasn't one of those pathetic looking excuses for a feather. It was one of those huge, fluffy ones... the ones that they probably filled feather blankets with. The one that if it barely touched you, would make you flinch and giggle. That type of feather!   
  
"No, please... no...!!" she said. Her heart sped up. He nodded and grinned evilly. He soflty ticked the soles of her feet with the feather. Lina bit on her lip, trying to bite back a laugh. Her fingers clenched. Xellos ticked her a little more. Her right foot, the one being tickled, lurched as her body decided that it definately did not want more of it and tried to get free. Finally, Lina burst. She giggled and laughed, and tried everything she could to break free.  
  
"Ne, Xellos..." she gasped. "Stop it!" She broke out laughing so hard that tears leaked from her eyes. He stopped and Lina calmed down. He whispered in her ear...  
  
"Plead for mercy?" he asked. Lina took a deep breath and calmed down.  
  
"No," she said bravely. Xellos tickled her left foot. This time, her body spasmed as she burst out into more squeals. She tried to ready a spell, but it was close to impossible to recite one while squealing and laughing like crazy. He smiled but didn't let up. She was wrenching against the cuffs holding her in place now. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to get free. And now, he started to do both feet at a time. Xellos winced. He though Lina had been loud before, but that was before... He was so glad he had put a silence spell on the room. Had anybody else heard all the noise, they would of course, assume the worst of him and Lina. He stared at her dainty little toes, they were so cute! Of course, Lina would Fire ball him if she found out.  
  
"Stop!!!" she cried out, tears running down her cheeks. "Xellos...fine, fine! I yield!!!" Xellos mercifully stopped his torture on her.  
  
"You say anything?" he asked innocently. Lina tried to take deep, calming breaths.  
  
"Fine... mercy..." she said as she gasped for breath. He smiled.  
  
"Yatta Lina!" he said. "See it wasn't that hard. Now, let's try the next part!" He got closer to her.  
  
"First, let my hands go." she said. Xellos smiled.  
  
"No spells..." Lina promised. He let her hands go. She sat up and grinned ruefully at him as she massaged her wrists. "You big meanie." she said and stuck her tongue out at him. He did likewise.  
  
"Well, I'm waiting." he said. He took one of her wrists and started to massage it so that the soreness would leave. Lina blushed. She got a wicked plan. So, Xellos thought that he had won, huh? We'll see about that.  
  
"And my feet too." she said. Xellos shrugged and undid them also. Lina smiled. Now, to put her plan into action. She stood up and pushed Xellos down until he sat on the bed. She sat across his lap, her eyes half lidded, but in a, shall we call it, "sexy way"? Xellos gulped. Lina had a predatorious look about her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her mouth close to his ear.  
  
"Xellos?" she whispered into his ear. Xellos felt himself shiver this time. Is this what Lina felt when he whispered in her ear? He hadn't realized that there were emotions so powerful. "You are so, so amazingly..." Here she cut the words and kissed him lightly on the cheek, in a playful, almost coquettish way. She broke the small kiss and stared into his amethyst eyes"...gullible!" She pushed him down and in a twinkling of an eye, snapped him to the bed, hands and feet as she leapt up and did the victory pose at him. "Got ya!"  
  
"Lina!" he said, his eyes unreadable. Unreadable, due to all the emotions zooming in his head. It was like a catharsis. He was enjoying all of the emotions that Lina had been giving off. The fun, the almos playfulness around her, the shrieks and squeals were great, and then, when Lina sat on his lap... the feeling of drowning in her eyes. When she kissed him lightly, he felt as if he were floating, as if the world was all right. It felt like the joy of a promise kept and fulfilled. It felt delicious, exquisite, delicate. He nearly went drunk from the overdose of feelings... and then, a sort of disappointment when she cut it. And all of a sudden, he was just Xellos once more... ex-Mazoku who didn't understand the use of emotions yet. Just plain, boring, Xellos, who nobody really trusted. He felt empty after the emptying of all the feelings.  
  
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist. But, you're amazing also... and OK, when you're not annoying me like crazy, you're cool" she said with a smile. Xellos smiled also and ported out of the clasps. He fixed her wild hair a little.  
  
"You too!" he chirped. She blushed. He laughed. "See you at supper?"  
  
"No need to ask twice!" she said. She picked up the blanket and Xellos fixed the bed and grinned. Lina looked at him and blushed demurely. He smiled and vanished from the room. Lina fixed the bed and smiled. That had been fun. She fell on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She sighed with contentment. That had been really fun. Although...  
  
It had gotten her thinking. What was her relationship with Xellos, exactly? She couldn't just play around forever. Sooner or later, she'd have to talk to him, seriously. One of these days. And then, find out how he felt about her. And then?... well, we will see...  
*****  
Xellos thought. That had been the most fun he had in ages. Not even torturing someone when he was a Mazoku had brought on such a pleasure. He really had to do that more often, if she didn't fireball him first. Which meant, he'd have to talk to her. But that was another day, when he felt ready... he'd tell her the whole truth, how he felt about her, and he'd see what she'd say... perhaps he should wait until he learned to deal with disappointment. You never know, and even though she was the one for him, she might not think so, or wish that to happen... He sighed... all these feelings were well and good, but really, they caused more than happiness. Somebody forgot to tell him that hurt was included in the package.  
*****  
Zelas stared at the girl in front of her. The Lord of Nightmares was so impudent! To arrive here to decide something so important in the guise of a girl. Fate stood in between them, a die in her hand.  
  
"Well, ladies," she said cooly. "We are here to roll the die. You know what happens. Odd, Zelas gets her way. Even, Amph gets her way." Both agreed. Fate tossed the die high up in the air. It spun in the air, a die made of silver with onyx stones. And the die fell and fell and fell... Fate looked at the runes on the die.  
  
"The outcome is this, the number is 5." she stated calmly. "Let Zelas's will color my actions until the time is up." The runes were in a language none of them knew except Fate, to avoid tampering. Zelas smiled triumphantly. She was about to rub it in, when she saw the LoN's face. She was smiling! Now, what was the silly Queen of the Frogs up to?  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES...  
SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, I wasn't expecting to finish this chapter so soon. Of course, I hadn't counted on a day and half free from classes...^^ So, here's the next chapter. Some play and teasing here and there. Ending on a serious note... I'll write some serious chapters now... at least, that's what I'm planning to do...^^ Once again, thanks for all the reviews!  
Happy Labor Day! God Bless You All, and until next time!  
As usual, R and R, and C and C are very welcome! Ja!  
Oh, and if you have any cool quote that you want me to put up, send it to me, and I'll see what I can do, although I can't promise putting everything up...  
Oh, and thanks to my rp friend, who goes by LinaChan, for helping me get the idea for the pillow fight. You're amazing and cool and all those wonderful adjectives that are majorly flattering... yeah... all that! Like I say, "Sos coolation!" That's a mix of Spanish and heavily accented english spoken by those who are learning. ^^  
  
Sincerely,  
Hotaru Kim. L.  
The Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek...  
  
Quotes...  
"To imagine the thoughtlessness of a thoughtless thing is useless." -Wendell Berry  
  
"Whoever said "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." was a big fat stinking liar!" -me 


	13. Peaches and Strawberries Don't Mix...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By Kimiko  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Please insert the standard disclaimer in here. The author is too depressed about life to write it in at the present moment. Thank you. ^.^  
  
  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Peaches and Strawberries Don't Mix...  
  
"You called us, Ms. Lina?" asked Amelia as she sat on a couch in a study. Zel sat beside her and wondered what the heck was going on.  
  
"Nope!" said Lina with a smile. "Actually, Xellos called all of you. If I had it my way, I wouldn't have called the meeting." She grinned.  
  
"Yes, I called all of you." said Xellos from within the shadows. Everyone turned to look at the figure who came out walking slowly. He had a small grin on his face.  
  
"What for?" asked Gourry. He was sitting in an arm chair. He scratched his head.  
  
"You'll see." said Xellos.  
  
"So, Xellos, what do you want?" asked Zelgadis, suspiciously.  
  
"Why Zelgadis! I'm surprised! Are you suspicious of poor, little me?" asked Xellos, sarcastically. Lina looked up at that. Xellos usually didn't talk like that to people, unless he was planning something big and unexpected. Xellos looked at her from the side of the eye and noted her surprise.  
  
[Anything wrong, Lina chan?] he thought to her.  
  
"Fruitcake..." muttered Zel under his breath. He started to leave.  
  
[What are you planning?] asked Lina to Xellos.  
  
[Now.]  
  
"I wouldn't leave if I were you." said Xellos. In the dimness of the room, Xellos sounded almost evil.  
  
[Now? Oh... I get it!] thought Lina. Lina grinned at Zel. She motioned for Zel to sit still.  
  
"We have a little surprise planned for you. That's all!" said Lina. She allowed herself to grin madly and started to power up. The red glow cast by the ruby colored gems lit up the room by a little. She silently recited the spell to get more power. Xellos smiled. Lina didn't know it, but she was playing her part perfectly! She looked so evil like that, her ruby red hair gleaming like fresh blood in the light of the stones. Zel, Amelia and Gourry looked on, not quite sure what was going on. Lina's talismans all of a sudden flashed to a golden color, with streaks of black, like lightning every once in a while. Xellos smiled even more. The spell they were about to cast needed lots of energy to cast. With Xellos missing his staff, Lina had to draw all the power needed from L-sama by herself, which was why she was using the talismans, to amplify her own resources.  
  
"Ready, Lina?" he asked.  
  
"Ready." said Lina.  
  
"Ready for what?" asked Gourry, not quite getting it, although, in this case he was justified.  
  
"Mother of All." intoned Xellos. He put his one hand on Lina's shoulder, getting ready to open the connection between them and cast the spell.  
  
"Creator of Chaos" whispered Lina softly, as she closed her eyes. Her hands gripped the chair as she struggled to concentrate.  
  
"We call on you, Knights of Chaos, both. Lend us your power and let the stone change to flesh. Calling on your power, let your chaotic light shine. So we ask, so we give. Lord of Nightmares, hear our plea. Run your power through your humble servants." recited Xellos.  
  
"With steadfast will..." said Xellos.  
  
"We open the gate." finished Lina.  
  
Zelgadis prepared a shield when he heard them start. Had something gone wrong? Had Xellos warped Lina's mind? But as the spell continued, he slowly dropped the shield... could it be? What did Xellos mean by changing stone to flesh?  
  
Lina's forehead was beaded with sweat as she finally opened herself to allow the energy through into Xellos's hand. Xellos felt the magic course through him, forming an aura of dancing light to surround both of them. The light slowly extended and formed around Zelgadis. Amelia and Gourry backed away as the light engulfed Zelgadis, from toes to the tip of his hair.  
  
Zelgadis felt a burning sensation, but it didn't hurt. The fire seemed to burn around him, yet he didn't feel too warm. Slowly, he felt a tingling sensation come over him, like the three million pricks one feels when your limb falls asleep, forgetting that it's not supposed to do that. The light faded, he stood alone. Slowly, he raised his hands to his face. Instead of washed and gleaming stones, he saw pale, smooth skin. Hesitantly, he fingered his hair. Instead of steel, stainless, wire, he felt soft hair.  
  
The light around the two Knights slowly faded. As soon as it was gone though, Lina gasped in pain. Xellos held her hand and lent her some of his own energy to replace her dwindling supply. He looked up. Zel was speechless. Amelia and Gourry just stared at him. He looked at Lina, who's face was amazingly white. He made his decision and let Lina fireball him if she so wished. With out a second thought, he carefully picked her up in his arms and teleported them away.  
  
Amelia squealed like a little girl and ran and hugged him. It was so different to feel soft, warm skin under her arms when she hugged him. He hugged her back with out a thought, so happy was he! Gourry stared at them.  
  
"Hey, Zel, you're not made of stone any more!" he said. He hugged the two of them as they laughed with joy. Zel broke apart for a while, as he was not yet used to feeling human arms touching his human skin. Besides, he still had to say thanks to Lina, and Xellos also.  
  
"Hey, where are they?" he asked. Amelia and Gourry turned and looked.  
  
"They were here just a second ago..." said Gourry. Amelia shrugged her shoulders. She didn't understand why Xellos had helped Lina cast the spell to heal Zelgadis, but that didn't matter. She'd tell them thank you later. Now, to celebrate!  
  
*****  
  
Xellos frowned pensively as Lina laid prone on his bed. They were in his small pocket dimension in the Astral Plane. He had ported them there immediately. Lina had fainted from the exertion and he had quickly gotten a cold towel on her forehead. He softly and carefully wiped the sweat. Lina's breathing had evened out. It was strange, the manual hadn't said anything about these side effects. Of course, the manual also assumed that they both had their amplification talismans. As it was, Lina's were still Demonsblood talismans and had to fight the black magic to allow the chaotic one in. And he had lost his staff, so Lina had to draw most of the power. Of course, controlling all that power, who wouldn't be half dead after that?  
  
He was glad, though. Lina's breathing had evened out and now, she just seemed to be sleeping. He sat down beside her and played with her soft hair as he fed some more of his energy into her. That would speed up the healing process. He looked up and acknowledged LoN, who had just ported in.  
  
"How do you do?" asked Xellos politely. "Thank you for your power back there."  
  
"You're welcome." she said. "Anyway, I was surprised you tried that with out your real talismans. That was a major drain on Lina you know. I thought I told you to take care of her." She sounded like a mother softly chiding her children.  
  
"She knew." said Xellos. "She was willing to take the risk. Nothing I said stopped her." The two talked late into the night. Lina woke up a while later and joined in the conversation. By the time it was over, Lina was feeling many times better. But the two Knights were feeling more serious. They forged their new talismans that night. They continued to talk and discuss matters and what their new mission would be. The two  
  
were dead tired by the time it had finished.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, Zelgadis woke up. He got up and stretched, a stretch from toes to his finger tips. His human fingertips, made of human flesh. He stared at himself in the mirror and smiled. Black hair fell over his one eye. His ears were normal, not pointed anymore. And his skin, a creamy beige color, not too tanned, and not too white. He smiled a huge smile. Pink gums, white teeth... human to the core! But he wondered... how had his transformation affected his magic, his power, or his abilities? For some reason, he was half scared to find out. His information with Rowan. She had been right. All the things she had ticked off on her fingers were true. His chimeric form had given him certain advantages. For example, there was his demon speed and hearing. That had come in handy many times while traveling. And of course, there was the fact that rock skin was harder to penetrate with your run of the mill ordinary sword than was flesh. And his strength... he looked at his hands. Lina and Xellos had been able to give him something he had wished for ever since his encounter with Rezo. All the hidden traps and dead ends had led nowhere. Now, he had it. Someone had handed it to him on a silver platter. No selling your soul, no catch, except, maybe, you loose your advantages. But, if he ever wanted to change, he'd just have to talk to Lina and Xellos, right? Yeah... that was all! What was the problem. If he really needed it, he'd ask them. So with a smile, he went down to eat breakfast.  
  
*****  
  
Amelia woke up. She rose from her fluffy four poster bed. The covers were red with pale pink sakura blossoms. She ran to the window and drew open the drapes. She felt like shouting Good Morning! to everybody outside. But no... she wouldn't do it. But she felt so well! She stretched and stared at her mirror. Her eyes took on a dreamy faraway look as she remembered last night's events. Zelgadis was finally human! And Ms. Lina had done it. OK, Xellos had helped also. And Zel looked sooooooo handsome!!! *insert squeal here* She was so happy. She hugged him last night, and he had hugged back. He was smiling. He was laughing. He was glad. And she was glad also! Life was beautiful! Justice always triumphed! And the world was a happy place! Hurrah! She combed her black hair and ran down to have breakfast.  
  
*****  
  
Gourry woke up. He smiled and brushed his long, golden hair and thought happy thoughts. Was there anything really important that he noticed yesterday? Oh yeah, the chicken had been cooked too long. With that thought in mind, he went downstairs happily to his breakfast.  
  
*****  
  
Lina woke up and yawned. She wanted to go back to sleep, so she tried to. Just as she was going to, though, she caught sight of the room. She immediately woke up. What in the world was Xellos doing, sleeping in a chair beside her bed? She peered at him curiously. He was smiling slightly in his sleep. He looked... kawaii. Rarely had she ever seen him look so rested and content, so happy and safe. He almost looked childish. In his hands, he gripped his new staff, the one L-sama had given him. They had forged it last night. It looked like his old staff. Same style, same wood, but a different crystal. It was a dark onyx crystal with a heart of amethyst and ruby, arranged in gold. Not that you could tell. It had been forged last night. It was a link to Chaos and had a special affinity with her. It had taken a lot of him. He had already been down on energy when he gave her his. She blushed at that. He was so considerate and kind... almost like a totally different person! She got up quietly, so as to not bother him, and stretched. She noticed she was in PJs, and promptly decided she did not want to know how she changed from her normal clothes to PJs...  
  
Her eyes roamed to her box, that was beside her bed. She took the box and opened it up. Inside, where four talismans. One for her throat, as a clasp for a cloak, two for her wrists, and one for her waist. They looked almost the same as before, except that, these talismans were tuned into Chaos instead of Darkness. The stones in each one was just a red, but hid the heart of the crystal effectively. It had the same arrangement on the inside as Xellos's staff had. Amethyst, gold and ruby. She smiled. She took the box and went to the bathroom to change into some more presentable clothes.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos woke up after Lina had gone into the bathroom. He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. Oh yeah, he remembered! After the forging of the talismans, Xellos had dropped Lina off and then sat in a chair beside her. She was still wearing her research cloths and now, they were decorated with her new and improved talismans. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, 'cause that was what she was doing. She was beat from everything that happened. But he didn't want her clothes to get wrinkled like that. So he did the only thing he could, he changed her clothes for her. No, he used magic! No peeking! Honestly! After that, though, he was very tired, so he dropped into a chair and fell asleep.  
  
Now, he was awake, and he felt very refreshed. He looked at his staff. It looked so much like his old staff. It felt like his old staff. It was nice. He had a power amplifier once more. Now, next time they cast a huge spell, Lina wouldn't be drained dry of her own energy. Speaking of which... he listened a little, and smiled when he heard Lina singing to herself in the bathroom. So, he got up and stretched. They'd be leaving tonight. So, that meant lots of preparation and instructions for Zel and Amelia and Gourry and the whole group. But first, he wanted to talk to Lina. The Lord of Nightmares had made their mission sound very serious, and dangerous. He wanted to talk to Lina a little more. They'd be too busy to do much after tonight. So he sat and waited.  
  
Lina came out, wearing her research clothes and her talismans. She saw Xellos.  
  
"Morning, Xellos!" she said.  
  
"Morning, Lina!" he answered back. Silence. Xellos tried to formulate a statement in his mouth. One that would sound nice and sincere, but wouldn't make him look like a dolt.  
  
"Hey, Lina," he said.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked. She didn't know what to do. What are you supposed to do when you see the person you love so much, but are scared to tell him? You can't just run to him and say "I Love You!" What if it wasn't reciprocated? What if he thought her silly? She didn't know how she'd take to that, so she said nothing.  
  
"Um... I was wondering. Let's go out to the city and have fun today!" he said. Yeah, Lina liked fun, and food... "We can eat at a restaurant and all that stuff."  
  
"What for?" asked Lina. She so wanted to say that she would love to go with him, but she had a reputation to keep up. So, no matter how much she waned to squeal, she took a deep and calming breath. "Won't we need to tell Zel and the others about what's going on?"  
  
"We can leave them notes." said Xellos. "Besides, after tonight, there will hardly be anymore time for fun, Lina! I invite!" Lina pretended to look thoughtful. OK, hold the pose for three seconds. Two, One...  
  
"OK!" she said, having pretended that she wasn't sure.  
  
"Yeah!" said Xellos. "Let go!" And so, Lina and Xellos flew out the window. Lina happy, cause she could spend more time with him. And Xellos happy, for basically the same reason. Aren't they cute? *insert sigh of happiness here*  
  
They left a message for Zelgadis, Amelia and Gourry. Notes about what to expect next, where they would be, how to get ready. There was a surreal tone to all of this. None of them were ready to believe what the Lord of Nightmares had told them. War of the races? How? So far, only the Mazoku were involved. L-sama had carefully explained to them. If the Mazoku hierarchy falls apart, there will be a power struggle among all the Mazoku. The Ryouzoku will then take advantage of that and will attack. At this point, Lina had asked a question...  
  
"LUNA'S GONNA BE INVOLVED!!!!????" Anyway, not necessarily, was the answer. It depends how well Lina did her job... so that served as motivation. Next, the fight between the Ryouzoku and Mazoku would erupt, and guess who would get hit? The humans of course, which meant that every mage would retaliate or hide. Whatever they did, the human casualty list would escalate like never before... and so, the world would be destroyed. That meant that Chaos would have to scrap everything she had worked at and start all over again. Something, she majorly didn't want to do. But first, L-sama had been bound by Fate and could not tell them exactly what to do, due to the wager, she had "lost" to Zelas while playing dice. Here, Lina and Xellos had sweatdropped. So, they were going to start their mission tonight. So, until then...  
  
"I want two of these, and three of those. And can I have some of this for dessert also? Oh, and some tea for Xellos." said Lina as she stared critically at the menu. The waitress flipped the page and continued to write. "Right, Xellos?" Xellos, who was sitting across from Lina smiled.  
  
"You know me too well." he said. "Yes, I'd like a cup of tea. Some jasmine tea would be nice."  
  
The waitress nodded and kept on writing.  
  
"Anything else?" she asked. She crossed her fingers, hoping for a no...  
  
"Oh, and an extra large strawberry parfait. Extra strawberries, or else..." said Lina suspiciously. The waitress nodded and asked Xellos what he wanted.  
  
"Um, a banana split. With extra cream, and nuts, and strawberry and peach slices. And chocolate ice cream. And a cherry." said Xellos. "For two." Lina looked surprised, and blushed when she saw his twinkling eyes.  
  
"Um... then, uh, skip the parfait..." she said. "But, extra strawberries!" The waitress scratched out something and added more to her growing list and left.  
  
There was an awkward silence. Lina didn't know what to do. She had no idea why she had canceled her order for strawberry parfait... well, truth be told, was because Xellos had ordered that huge banana split for the two.  
  
"I didn't know you liked banana splits..." said Lina, tired of the silence. She was supposed to be anything but a love sick girl!!!! So how come she enjoyed it?  
  
"Oh, Seyruun has very nice ice-cream dishes." said Xellos with a grin. "One shouldn't let such a nice opportunity go to waste. It's nice of you to share a banana split with me, Lina-chan." He grinned at her. Lina blushed and fiddled with the napkin in her lap. Their food finally came. Lina, for once, ate like a lady, so perturbed was she. Besides, there was no need to eat hurriedly. Gourry wasn't around. Xellos sipped his tea and smiled and made some small talk. All in all, it was a very pleasant lunch. The waitress cleared the plates, and brought out the dreaded banana split. Well, dreaded from Lina's point of view because she had no idea how to act. To their surprise, it was on a heart shaped platter, with little heart shaped crackers. And two spoons, with very ornate handles.  
  
"Um... excuse me, miss?" asked Lina. She pointed at the dessert in a puzzled way.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you." she said. "Today we are having a special for couples." Lina mega blushed. "All desserts are half off, and the hearts are added, on the house. Enjoy!" She smiled and left the two blushing knights.  
  
"Oh..." said Lina. "I had no idea..." She looked at her lap. Xellos was shocked. Ordering it for two was just a joke, and he was surprised when Lina actually said yes... and now... L-sama was laughing her butt off, he knew.  
  
"Let's eat then!" he said, jovially. "Don't let this ice-cream go to waste!" He took up a spoon and took a bite. Lina smiled shyly and also took a bite. And another.  
  
"Wow! This is really good!" she said happily. She reached for a strawberry, but they were on Xellos's side.  
  
"Here, I'll give you one." he said and took it into his spoon. He spoon-fed Lina the strawberry, and was surprised at the expression of satisfaction on her face.  
  
"Yummy." she said. With a laugh, Xellos spoon-fed her some more. Lina was too happy to care at the present moment. They quickly finished the banana split. Xellos, Lina discovered, really liked peach slices. He moved over so that he sat beside her.  
  
"You like fruit?" she asked. Somehow, the thought had never crossed her mind.  
  
"Yeah." said Xellos as he took a bite of the peach slice. "It's my favorite!"  
  
"I never thought of you having a favorite fruit." she said.  
  
"I bet you like strawberries, don't you?" he asked. "And yeah, I really like peach! I think it's the best fruit in the world!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" challenged Lina. "I think that strawberries are the best!"  
  
"Ne, Lina-chan. You're wrong." said Xellos bluntly as he waved his fork in the air. "Peaches are crisp. They have a mellow flavor, yet are very juicy and succulent."  
  
"Strawberries are soft, delicious, bursting with flavor." said Lina. "It's active! In motion! Forget mellow. These burst with flavor!"  
  
"Peaches are bigger, and funner to eat." said Xellos. "It's a soft taste, that catches you by surprise when the flavor hits."  
  
"Strawberries are dripping with flavor." said Lina. She picked one up. "They are small and easy to eat. Perfect for munching on! No wasting time on waiting for the flavor to come. Small bites have just as much juice as big ones." She slowly bit her strawberry, savoring the juice.  
  
"Peaches are nice and big." said Xellos, not quite ready to loose to Lina. "Strawberries are too violent. Peaches are secretive and suave. Like me!" He took a bite out of a peach.  
  
"Well, strawberries are anything but passive! It's like an explosion of exotic tastes. Like me!" she stuck her tongue out at him. He did too, before he leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss, savoring her lips. Lina was surprised and didn't respond. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.  
  
"You're right." he said slyly. "Exotic. A worthwhile experience. Strawberries aren't that bad, I guess." Lina flushed dark red as she looked at him. She remembered the kiss from a few days ago, in the tree. She had not said a thing about it, and he, thankfully, had not brought it up. She hadn't been ready to deal with it. Then, there was the other day, the small kiss she gave him. His teasing smile. Something she wasn't quite ready to deal with yet either.  
  
She had been surprised. More than surprised. She hadn't felt so, so, playful like yesterday in a long time. They really had to talk, which was what they were doing. So, you should start the conversation in the right mood, right? So, she softly brought his head down to hers and kissed him softly, on the lips. No more playing, they were going to talk, right now! But after the kiss. Xellos kissed her back softly. She broke it and looked at Xellos shyly.  
  
[We have to talk.] she thought to him.  
  
[Understood.] he said. He took her hand and lead her out of the restaurant, after paying the bill.  
  
They walked around town, not really saying anything. Both were too lost in their thoughts to realize that they were still holding hands. Finally, Lina led him to a small park. They found a small secluded bench and sat there, still holding hands.  
  
"So, how do we start this?" asked Lina, not quite sure how to go about starting The Talk.  
  
"How about, I love you Lina, more than I ever thought would be possible?" asked Xellos as he looked into Lina's eyes. She blushed lightly and looked away. Xellos waited for a response. It had taken him a lot to go out and say it like that, so bluntly, with out any warning. He had to tell her. He was ready to accept defeat, he told himself, although the longer Lina took to answer, the more his heart felt like it would break. "Or is that not what you were expecting?"  
  
Lina drew her hand away from his hold. Strangely, he let go. His eyes darkened as he stared at the ground, not looking at her. He knew it would hurt. Leaving yourself open like this was bound to have its consequences. That's why he had stopped having feelings. But, this hurt more than he thought it would. He felt something build up in his eyes.  
  
Lina could feel him getting depressed at her lack of emotion. The truth was, she still couldn't believe it. Xellos, in love with her? No way. Couldn't be. She was dreaming. He couldn't love her, could he? Ever since she had met him, he had captivated her interest. His personality was so cool, so calm and controlled, but hidden behind that cool exterior, was a warm person she had never thought she'd find. So, how do you respond when something like this happens? She turned to look at him, to tell him something, but to her surprise, found that he had vanished. She felt a message coming in.  
  
[Gomen ne, Lina san.] said the voice. [I won't anymore.] Then his touch disappeared. She tried to blink away the tears, but they came down anyway. She clenched her fists. She had been such a fool, thinking she could handle this. She had wanted to talk, she had wanted to know how he felt. Now she knew. She was a total idiot thinking she could handle this. She was a total idiot, thinking she could hide her feelings. She stifled a sob as she let the tears fall, unheeded, down her cheeks.  
  
'Idiot!' he thought to himself. 'Why? Why did I tell her that?' Xellos paced around in his private pocket dimension on the Astral Plane. Here, he didn't worry about having to keep pretenses up. The building up in his eyes finally became too much, and tears leaked from his eyes. He threw himself down on his bed. 'Why? I should have kept silent. But I thought...' He had thought, dared to hope,... Hope... Why even bother? Why even hope? There was a reason Zelas had told him to lock his feelings up. Hope more often than not led to disappointment. This wasn't one of those silly romance novels that Amelia read during her free time, about love triumphing, about hope, not leading to disappointment, but to joy. What was he thinking? This was life, not a sappy story. Hope was nothing. Lina had just proved it to him. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't. He couldn't get her out of his mind. How she laughed, how she moved, how her eyes flashed, how her cheeks had turned red after their kiss. He had thought, hoped, there was the silly word again. Hoped that Lina also felt something for him. How she had looked at him, how she had smiled at him. He had thought... But no, Lina wasn't like that. He knew her. In all the times they had traveled together, Lina never was like that. He had let his feelings control his actions.  
  
'I'm supposed to be cool, controlled, stoic...' he thought to himself. But he wasn't. He was tired of pretending. He had hoped. Hoped, hoped, hoped, hoped and looked like an idiot. Hope wasn't as great as people made it seem. It was, after all, a four letter word. He carefully put himself together again. He wasn't a Mazoku anymore. He didn't have total control of his feelings. So, he slowly put himself together. He was Xellos. Ex-Mazoku. Knight of Chaos, with Lina... Everything, absolutely every part of himself revolved around Lina. She was his everything. The only one who trusted him. The only one who cared. But not the way he wished. Hadn't Chaos told him that she was the one? Had he just ruined his chance of being with her? He felt his tears begin once more. He finally let exhaustion take over his body and fell asleep, not hearing the call Lina gave him three minutes later.  
  
Lina sighed. He couldn't hear her, wherever he was. She had given up hours ago. The sky was dark. She walked back to the palace dejectedly. She'd tell Amelia and the others she and Xellos would leave tonight. Tell her a few instructions, watch out for Mazoku attacks and Ryouzoku attacks and from the others. She walked in, and ran into Zelgadis.  
  
"Lina! You're back!" he smiled and hugged her. Lina was surprised that had come over Zel. "I was just about to go out and look for you!" Lina looked at him.  
  
"You look great, Zel!" she said tiredly. "See, I told you your cure was out there somewhere." Zel looked at her.  
  
"I can still do magic, I still have my hearing,..." he looked at him, his face all smiles. "Thank you so much, Lina."  
  
"You shouldn't thank me, Zelgadis." she said slowly. "Thank Xellos. He is the one who worded the spell. He could have taken your magic away also, you know. He was the one to leave you as you were, except for stone skin." Zel was speechless. It was Xellos, who had given him his magic.  
  
"I'll thank him when I see him." said Zel. "Speaking of which, where is the fruitcake?" Lina sniffled. She struggled to hold back her tears, but was too tired. She broke and hugged him hard, her ears soaking his tan shirt. He hesitantly hugged her back, trying to calm her down.  
  
"I don't know where he is..." she sobbed.  
  
"What's wrong, Lina?" asked Zel, worried to death. "Did he do something to you? Because if he did... I swear I'll..." It was to this scene that Xellos arrived.  
  
His eyes took in Lina, hugging Zel, sobbing her eyes out. His heart ached when he realized that he was the reason for those tears. He took in Zel hugging her, trying to calm her down. His eyes closed in pain. He nodded to the two of them and vanished, although Lina didn't notice.  
  
"Lina? Are you OK?" he asked. "The fruitcake just came by..." Lina looked up, her eyes hopeful.  
  
"Xellos? Where is he?" she asked. She had to talk to him, so she whipped her head around, seeing if she could spot him.  
  
"He came in, saw us and left." said Zelgadis. He took Lina by the shoulders. "Lina, what's wrong?" Lina's eyes dropped. He probably saw them hugging, and now, he had vanished once more. Her shoulders slumped.  
  
"I'll be fine," she said softly. She took his hands away from her shoulders and left to go to her room. "Tell the others that Xellos and I have a mission tonight. Don't know when we'll be back. Be on guard for any attacks." She said this with out looking back.  
  
That night, L-sama called both of them. Xellos had his eyes closed, his face stoic, not smiling nor frowning. He looked like the Mazoku he used to be. Lina looked dejected. Her eyes looked tired.  
  
"Your mission is to find the Scroll of Albuntra, containing the last writings of the sage Albuntra. The call number is 548.3 A.S45, Lina, OK?" said the Lord of Nightmares. "I'm splitting you up so that you can cover more territory. Be on guard for any of Zelas's men. When you find it, find each other and then use the scroll to come back." The two nodded. "Good luck. May the Chaotic Force be with you!" The two raised their eyebrows. She giggled.  
  
"Well, I'm trying to get a rise out of you two! Look happy! You'll do fine!" she said. "Please? Please smile for me?" The two gave her a weak smile. "Yeah!" A portal opened and the two stepped through the portal, one after another.  
  
L-sama frowned. Something had happened today. Why were they so sad? They hadn't talked or looked at each other ever since she called them. They looked so sad..., it made her want to cry.  
  
Author's notes...  
  
OK, I admit it, I'm a sucker for waff... but I love angst and tragedies just as much!!! Sorry I ended on a depressing note. Life has caught up with me, and it's very stupid at the present moment (keeping my language clean ^^)... Anyway! I'm happy, cause school is almost out! (That's always a cause for celebration!) I have to take two final exams this week, Chemistry and Physics. I'm so glad I don't have to take the Pre- Calculus final...^^ Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story. Take care, all of ya! Keep your chin up and don't give up! (That's my encouraging thing for the day...)  
  
As usual, Read and Review, Comment and Criticize, and yeah... all that stuff. Do something so I know you're reading this! =^^= Thanks to all my loyal reviewers! You guys are awesome!!!!!!!!!  
  
PS... I loooooooooooove strawberries and peaches. I honestly think they do mix, but that will be later...^^  
  
Hotaru  
  
=^.^=  
  
Quotes...  
  
"Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son to die for you." -John Ashcroft  
  
"The pen is mightier than the sword, especially if it's sharp, pointy and full of ink!" -Me  
  
"Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book."  
  
-Marcus Tullius Cicero  
  
And a personal favorite...  
  
"Â¿Que is poesia? dices mientras clavas  
  
en mi pupila to pupila azul;  
  
Â¿Que es poesia? y tu me lo preguntas?  
  
Poesia... eres tu."  
  
-Gustavo Adolfo Becquer 


	14. At Odds With Normality...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Slayers aint mine. I wish it were though...^^ Anyway, no monetary profit is to be made of this... yadda, yadda, yadda... not like anybody would actually be willing to pay money to read this... ^^ What else? That's about it.... I'm in Summer break!!!!!!!!  
  
Chapter 14  
  
At Odds With Normality...  
  
"Why did you split them up?" asked Zelas to the Lord of Chaos. "You do know that I'm doing everything I can to thwart them."  
  
"Even bad, disobedient daughters should get a chance to prove themselves." said Chaos smugly. She glanced at the story book in her hands and smiled. Beside, they say that separation makes the heart fond... She smiled as she looked into the crystal ball. It would be quite... interesting... to see how her two Knights dealt with this universe. Very interesting indeed...  
  
*****  
  
Lina woke up. She woke up in a beautiful, soft, comfortable and warm bed. Then she really woke up. She shot straight up, as she glanced at the area around her. The bed was very nice, just that it wasn't hers, or was it? Lina's mind worked furiously, as she searched for her last memory. Oh yeah, Chaos-sama had sent them on a mission to retrieve the scroll of this other guy. Unfortunately, she forgot his name already,.... shoot...  
  
She threw off her covers and stood up to stretch. She glanced at herself... and screamed. She ran to the huge mirror on the wall. She looked at her reflection, and screamed once more. That, that... girl, couldn't be her!!!!!!! Never in her life would she have imagined. The great Lina Inverse, garbed like some, some, some mix of a child's doll and something worse! Her hair, usually flowing behind her was tied up in two pigtails, with pink bows.... *shudder* And her clothes!!!! She was wearing a matching pink hat thing covering most of her hair. Her nightgown, which was also pink and frilly, with pink ribbons and pastel rainbows.... covered her from neck, to um,.... about one foot and nine tenths above her knees. The neck line was high and it had ruffles of lace. The rest was satin. Tight, lacy, soft, satin with nothing underneath. Her arms were enclosed in transparent cloth, as well, as her legs, tied off at the ankles and at her wrists.  
  
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS!!!!!" She screamed as she ran about the room. Immediately the room was opened.  
  
"Princess Lina! Is there anything wrong?" asked the guard, who looked a little like Gourry. Which was, tall and well muscled. But he had dark brown hair.  
  
"AAAAAh!!!! Pervert!" she cried. "FIREBALL!!!!!!!!!" The guard went bye-bye as he flew towards the corridor. She slammed the door shut and bolted it. She sighed and took huge calming breaths. Was this some type of joke? The guard called her princess. Princesses don't wear trash like this! She raided the room for the closet to find some clothes that looked a bit more modest. She couldn't help but think, it did make her look bigger though... if she found a different color and design....  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Lina sighed. The once neat room looked like a disaster, which made Lina feel more at ease. On the floor were many, many dresses. Lina felt like screaming. In the whole silly wardrobe, there was nothing that fit her!!!!! Well, they fit her body like a glove. But it just wasn't her! She sighed as she found a dress that looked halfway respectable. She put it on and stared at herself in her mirror. She had to hurry. A servant had knocked and told her that breakfast was in half an hour and asked if she would like help selecting an outfit. Lina sternly said no.  
  
This dress was forest green in color. Low neckline and the sleeves were made of white lace. The bodice was tight and sequined, with a light butterfly design etched in dark green thread with silver accents. The skirt was green and full, emphasizing a small waist. The edges of the skirt were pearly white. She brushed her hair back, letting it hang loose behind her. With a sigh, she opened the door and went out. She found a servant there who guided her to the dining room, where she ate a huge breakfast. Nobody else was there, except her. Poor princess. After eating, she walked around the palace, trying to get her bearings. No one told her she looked differently or acted differently. Of course, it could also be due to the fact that rumors of her bashing the guard were circulating. Speaking of that guard, she finally found him. She decided that she'd do a very royal and just like thing to do and apologize.  
  
"Hey, there!" she said cheerfully. The guard took a look at her gulped and immediately got on his knees.  
  
"Pardon your loyal servant, Princess Lina." he said. "It was not my intention to bother you this fine and beautiful morn." Lina blushed.  
  
"Um... no... um, uh, rise!" she said, intelligently. "Do rise! It's OK! Um, I just wanted to apologize for this morning. I didn't mean to hit you..." He rose up.  
  
"Thank you, my princess." he said as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. Lina blushed. "Princess."  
  
"Yes?" she asked.  
  
"I will keep your secret, for saving my life," said the guard.  
  
"Secret?" asked Lina, worried that he knew that she wasn't the real princess. He whispered it into her ear.  
  
"I had no idea you were into witchcraft, Princess. Is that not a secret?" he asked, perplexed.  
  
"Uh... yeah!" said Lina. "Thank you for keeping my secret." He nodded and left. Lina sighed. OK, so magic was out. Shoot. Fortunately, she wasn't that bad with a sword or with her hands. She sighed as she went to the palace, looking for the library. After all, that's where one finds scrolls, right? It was nice in there. That's because nobody seemed to ever use the library. She sighed and began the arduous task of looking through the scrolls. She knew it began with an A, and part of the call number was 548.3  
  
And that's how she spent the afternoon.  
  
That night, once more, she had supper all by herself. But as she was about to leave, a servant came up to her with a note.  
  
"Thank you." said Lina. The servant bowed and left.  
  
'Princess Lina,' the note said. 'I have found a breakthrough in our project. I would request your presence tonight to use your skills in documenting. Thank you. Your servant for always, Sage Albuntra'  
  
'Albuntra!' she thought excitedly. 'That's the scroll I'm looking for!' So she left hurriedly and was almost out of the palace before she remembered one critical fact. She had no idea where it was.  
  
'What are my options here?' she wondered. 'I could... ask a servant! No, princesses don't beg for information. I could... ask somebody else... but princesses don't talk to commoners either. So she ran up to her room and looked through her wardrobe for something that didn't look so fine. With a exasperated sigh, she took a black dress and ripped parts of it, so it didn't look so rich. She also tore off the sequins and pearls, giving it a very battered look. To finish it, she put on a black cape. After checking herself in the mirror, she ran out and asked the first stranger she saw. With a confused look, he pointed the place out to her.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos woke up. Shoot, he had fallen asleep on watch. So, where was he now? In a forest, on the outskirts of a campground. It was dawn. He went and started the fire going once more. Let's see, on a mission from L-sama. Find the scroll of Albuntra. Where was Lina? Oh yeah, she split them up. He missed her. She loved lighting fires. He shook her head. First thing in the morning and moping already? No way, Xellos the Trickster Priest didn't act like this. These past few days he had been a little different, but now, he was back. He was surprised when he felt somebody beside him. He turned and saw a lady.  
  
"Good morning Xellos!" she said.  
  
"Um, morning!" he said. He found his staff in his cape. He was still wearing his normal clothes.  
  
"Boring watch?" she asked. She had soft brown eyes and long brown hair, put into a long braid. She was wearing a cape in a mossy green color and brown traveling clothes. "Poor darling." Xellos almost choked.  
  
"Um,.. yeah... but it wasn't that bad. I'm quite used to boring watches." said Xellos.  
  
"Yeah, I know you like them exciting, dear." she said softly as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He tensed up. "I remember the first time I saw you fight the King's men off. It was wonderful. I never saw such grace, such style..." Xellos hastily stood up, causing her to nearly tumble off.  
  
"Um... miss..." he said.  
  
"Xellos, you know I want you to call me Misty." she said.  
  
"Misty-san, I have to do some things.... yeah," said Xellos, not feeling totally comfortable with how Miss Misty was acting. He started to walk off in one direction.  
  
"Um, Xellos dear!" she cooed after him. "Your tent is over that way! I should know!" He blushed and quickly went in. Gosh, that girl just oozed milk and honey and all things sweet. She was worse than Amelia! Well that was because Amelia wasn't trying to impress him by being all sugary and sweet. He still took on a Mazoku form, and such extremities with sweetness were making him slightly ill. After composing himself, he went out and found most of the group awake.  
  
"Hey boss!" many shouted. He smiled and waved back. He saw where Misty was and quickly took his breakfast and sat far away from her.  
  
"Hello boss!" said another man. He was older than Xellos, well, he looked older... ^^ And seemed like a nice person. "Ready to move out today?"  
  
"I think so," said Xellos, not knowing what he was talking about.  
  
"What's the plan for today?" he asked.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" said Xellos. It didn't really matter that he didn't know. He was, after all, the Trickster Priest. "How about for a change, you tell me what you think we should do."  
  
"Well, I think we should ambush them. Find out when the princess comes out and ambush her. Threaten the king to pay the ransom and agree to our terms. If he doesn't, good bye princess!"  
  
"That's stupid, Drake!" said another person. "You know that the king could care less for his daughter."  
  
"And let's do some mental exercises." said Xellos as he filed all the information. "Why would the king hate his own daughter?"  
  
"That's easy." said the other person. "She's the most despicable princess one can meet."  
  
"Your right, Ian!" said Drake. "I hadn't thought of it that way..." Xellos sweat dropped.  
  
"So what do you say we do, Ian?" asked Xellos.  
  
"I say just kill her." he said. "You know what she does. It's disgusting! She did that to my brother! I'm in it for revenge. We kill her and I'll die a happy man!" There were gasps of amazement. A few of the people patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.  
  
"So Xellos-kun!!" shouted Misty. Xellos winced. "What do you think? Do you want to know what I think????" Xellos sighed.  
  
"So, what do you think we should do?" asked Xellos.  
  
"I agree with Ian. That harlot that calls herself a princess should not live anymore. I bet her father will be so glad that he'll accept our demands. We could be doing a favor for him." said Misty.  
  
"Well that's a different way of seeing it." said Xellos. "Out of curiosity, why did you guys join the rebel group?"  
  
"I was bored!"  
  
"To follow you, Xellos-kun!" wolf whistles as Xellos blushed.  
  
"Revenge for my brother!"  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"Me three!"  
  
"Me four!"  
  
"Mom kicked me out of the house."  
  
"What, you also? Give me five!"  
  
Xellos sighed. He was the leader of a motley group of wannabe rebels. Great, just great. L-sama was laughing her butt off, he knew it deep down inside of him.  
  
*****  
  
Lina stared at the shack. This was the house of the Sage Albuntra? What was a princess like her doing with a guy like him? Wait, she didn't really want to know, imagining the dresses once more. She took a breath and knocked.  
  
"What's the password?" rasped a voice from the other side.  
  
"Um... no idea..." said Lina.  
  
"You can't enter and see the almighty Albuntra with out a password!" Lina sighed.  
  
"Let me in, if you know what's good for you. I'm not afraid to fireball the shack you live in!" growled Lina menacingly. Immediately, the door opened.  
  
"Now, princess, no need to be hasty now!" said a youngish looking guy with snow white hair. "I still wear proof of your blooming magical abilities, you know." He pointed to his hair.  
  
"Well, let's get this over with." she said as she went into the room. This place was so weird! Ever since she had woken up, she hadn't seen her 'parents'. None of the servants talked to her. It was as if they were scared. And now, what was the princess meeting with a commoner, practicing a forbidden magic, and practicing it on the sage? The house was weird. A shack on the outside, a bigger room on the inside... life was weird. What dimension did L-sama stick her in?  
  
"Here are my notes!" said Albuntra as he pointed to a huge mess on his desk.  
  
"How are the prophecies getting along?" asked Lina. She needed to know about the prophecies.  
  
"That's what I have so far!" he said proudly to the mess. Lina eyed the pile and the two began putting it together. Far into the night, Albuntra smiled. There, his first prophecy was finished! He watched proudly as Lina marked its call number, 548.3 A.S43. She stood up and stretched.  
  
"When will the next one be ready?" she asked. She was slightly disappointed, seeing she was only two scrolls off.  
  
"There's my next one!" he said excitedly as he pointed to a smaller set of notes. "Hopefully, that one will be finished in two days. Hey, Princess Lina?"  
  
"Yeah?" she asked as she stifled a yawn.  
  
"Do you think I'll be famous?"  
  
"Famous?" asked Lina. She thought a bit. "I think you'll be known. Perhaps not everyone will know you, but I'm pretty sure that the top-level researchers will know about you."  
  
"You think so?" asked Albuntra, his eyes shining with hope. "I mean, sometimes, I wonder.... who will read all this?" He pointed at all his scrolls. "...all my life, I've dedicated it to the gathering of knowledge and writing it down. But sometimes I wonder, what of what I write really is prophecy, and what is just wishful thinking? After all, sometimes, I think I can read minds, but it's just what I'm thinking... you know what I mean?"  
  
"Yeah, a bit..." said Lina. "Sometimes, you don't know that what you're doing is the right thing... I've gone through that many times."  
  
"So, what did you do?" asked the sage.  
  
"I searched my being, who I was and what my reasons where." said Lina, her eyes seeing far in the distance. "When I was sure of who and why, I took the leap of faith and got to work. In the end, everything turned out fine." Silence...  
  
"I have a question..." said both of them at the same time. There was an awkward silence.  
  
"You go ahead." said Albuntra.  
  
"Out of curiosity, how do you get your prophecies?" asked Lina. She was always curious. Did L-sama come up to you and tell you that she wanted you to write?  
  
"You really want to know?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, truth be told, I go to the public baths and daydream all day about the young ladies there!" His eyes looked out dreamily and he sighed as he imagined what he had probably seen this morning.  
  
"You peek at naked girls to write your prophecies?????" asked Lina, her eyes narrowing in anger.  
  
"Uh huh..." he nodded, still drunk in his own imagination. "And you know the One, written about in the prophecies? She's a girl, you know."  
  
"What about her?" he asked, not quite wanting to know.  
  
"I based her on this girl I saw the other day. She was cussing this other guy who had paid her too little for the night, and man, she looked good!!!! She had forest green hair with gold highlights, and blue eyes... super long legs..." He sighed. "Maybe I'll go to the girl later on, and get inspired again." He leered at her.  
  
"You based me on some common prostitute???!!!!" asked/shouted Lina as she readied a fireball.  
  
"Huh?" asked Albuntra. "You? But this prophecy will be handed down ages and ages... I'm quite sure that you'll be dead by then, Princes... Besides, you aren't like her!" Lina's fireball collapsed and she turned red.  
  
"Yeah, I meant her!" she said nervously as she rubbed the back of her head, ignoring his last comment. "Anyway, what was your question????" she asked, trying to draw the subject away from her blunder.  
  
"You're different." he said, all trace of ecchiness gone. "What's up?"  
  
"Me, different?" asked Lina. She wiped her sweating hands on her cape.  
  
"I mean, you haven't yet used me as a guinea pig for your magic yet. And well, your clothes look a little tattered. I thought we had reached the part in a relationship where I don't care what other people think when they see you enter my place. I love you, Princess, not for your riches, but for your witty self. And you told me yesterday that you loved me also and that you didn't care what others thought about you. But today, your so much nicer, but so much colder also. Did I do anything to get you mad, Princess?" asked the sage. Lina froze.  
  
'Shoot!' she thought. 'What am I gonna do now????'  
  
"I mean, if you think I'm going a bit fast tell me, and I'll back off." said Albuntra, his eyes shying away from her.  
  
"I'm just a little tired today." she said. "I do, but I want to slow it down a bit. After all, we have all the time in the world!" She couldn't bring herself to say it. She just couldn't bring herself to say 'I love you' to someone else.... that was reserved for him... Her eyes teared up. Alberta's eyes widened.  
  
"Don't cry, my Princess." he said as he took her hands in his. "I understand. I'll be here for you." He kissed her hand softly. "Why don't you go home now? I'll wait for you in two days at the same time. How about it? Hopefully, you'll feel better by then." Lina looked shocked at him.  
  
"Thank you." she said. She picked up her stuff and left the house. Before she started on her way back though, she used her magic to change his hair color back to its normal color, blue. "Thank you, Albuntra." Albuntra smiled as he felt his hair and saw the blue wisps of hair.  
  
"Goodnight, my dear Princess." he said as he watched her retreating back. She had changed. Gone was the irresponsible princess. It was quite nice, truth be told.  
  
They met like this for a few days. Lina was glad that Albuntra was willing to wait. Lina just smiled to herself. If even a weird princess like the one she was faking could admit her love for some perverted geek who was way beneath her, she could do the same for Xellos! Next time she saw him, she would tell him. She smiled.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos sighed as he detailed his plan to his men. It was simple. He bet even Gourry was more intelligent than some of these idiots. The plan was simple, nothing they should have a hard time following. They would stay behind and he would go and kill the Princess, leave a note asking for reward money and be out of there. Simple! But Misty-san didn't seem to get it.  
  
"How will you get in, Xellos hon????" she asked. Xellos fought back the urge to bash her with his staff.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said.  
  
"I don't want you to knick yourself with the dagger!" she said.  
  
"I can take care of myself."  
  
"I want to come along with you!" she said.  
  
"No, you'll trip and fall and alert the whole palace that we're there."  
  
"But how are you going to get there and back?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"That is a secret!"  
  
"Please, won't you tell me?????" she asked.  
  
"I told you, that is a secret!!!" He sighed and tried to shake her off his leg. "Stop feeling me up!"  
  
"Only if you tell me what it means!!!!!  
  
"That is a secret!! I told you already!!" he said. He never thought he'd see the day where he found someone who annoyed him even more than Filia and Amelia put together.  
  
"Really?" she asked, her eyes tearing up.  
  
"Yes." sighed Xellos. She let go.  
  
"You're not going to tell me, Xellos-kun????" she asked. "But I thought you loved me?!?" The whole camp had surrounded them, as they tuned in to the ongoing soap opera.  
  
'Um.... think fast!!!' he thought to himself. 'What would Lina do? Fireball them... never mind.'  
  
"Yeah, but..." he said. "There are some things that are too dangerous to be told to just anyone."  
  
"But I'm your special sugar bunny!!!!" she said. "I'm not just anyone! I'm your dew of the morning, and your sweet nectar you could drink forever and... and... and your sugar bunny!!!!!!!" Xellos sweat dropped. Whoever his alternate identity was, was a very weird and crazy, probably eccentric and not quite right in the head. There were snickers from the company. He stared at them, his eyes glinting dangerously. They quickly left, leaving them alone.  
  
"OK, not out loud. That is private, just between us." he mentally gagged. "Now, there are some things that are too dangerous to let known. I don't want you to get hurt by something you don't know too much about."  
  
"Oh, Xellos, sugar!!!" she gushed. "You do care about me!!!"  
  
"Um, yeah..." said Xellos without too much enthusiasm.  
  
"Won't you tell me you love me????" she asked.  
  
"..." said Xellos.  
  
"At least call me your sugar bunny!!!!!!" she asked, her brown eyes watering.  
  
"..." said Xellos. Great, just great. How was he going to get out of this!!!  
  
*****  
  
Xellos crept steadily. L-sama finally seemed to be smiling at him. He was the perfect candidate for the job as assassin to the Princess. Of course, he normally didn't like to kill poor defenseless maidens, but he had a lot of black energy to use up. He couldn't get her out of her head. Where was Lina? Almost a week into the adventure, and no word from her. And it didn't help that his main sidekick as rebel leader was this really impulsive lady who, um... yeah... that. Besides, the tales he had heard about the princess. He knew some were true. Princesses shouldn't be as wicked as she was. They should be nicer, but not as much as Amelia... *shudder*  
  
He was dressed in his normal cape and held his staff in his hands. Slowly, he crept towards the window. He pried it open softly, using his many skills. Life as a trickster priest made sure you knew how to walk silently and stealthily. And things like that. He tiptoed into the room. The silly princess was sleeping soundly on her bed. He looked at the room. It was a little messy, to be a princess's room, that was for sure. He drew a knife from his cape. He drew the covers away. What he saw astounded him. He stared at the princess... and gulped.  
  
Lina turned around and yawned. She opened her red eyes and saw Xellos.  
  
"Xellos!" she exclaimed softly. She traced an invisible line to see what he was staring at, and saw red. "Pervert!" she hissed. She then froze as she saw what he held in his hand. Her face paled in the waning moon light. He lighted a small candle near her bed.  
  
"Lina?" he asked. She looked at him, not quite sure how to react. Silence.... "You look really good like that!" He smiled. Lina flushed.  
  
"You perv, what are you doing here?" she asked as she got up and quickly donned on a robe. She flushed as she felt his eyes traveling up her body. His face turned serious. He remembered what had happened last time they met.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lina-san..." he said softly. "...for what I did, about a week ago." Lina watched him spellbound, his words opening fresh wounds in her heart.  
  
"I just thought, I don't know..." continued Xellos. He looked out the window and put away his dagger. "These few days... truth be told, I missed you, since the moment I woke up in here. I won't give up our friendship for anything, Lina-san." He looked at her, his eyes feeling watery. "Forgive me?" Lina blushed on feeling his eyes on her. She smiled at him softly, having decided a few days ago what to do when he came. She walked softly to him. No more mistakes. He had left himself open, and she had accidentally slapped him in the face. She would right it.  
  
"Xellos." she said softly. He looked at her and then turned away. He felt her hand reach out and turn it back so that he would be watching her.  
  
"Lina..." he said softly. "Don't... please." He couldn't stand her touch. It was agony feeling it and knowing he couldn't do the same to her, to feel her soft skin under his fingertips.  
  
"Why not?" asked Lina softly. She was so close to him. All he had to do was reach his hand out.  
  
"Lina, please.... I..." whispered Xellos, his breath coming faster. He stared into her eyes. Was it just his imagination, or was she getting closer?  
  
"You can't stand it when you promised yourself not to touch me, yet yearn so much to?" she asked teasingly as she drew her fingers across his jaw. She put her arms around him and raised her head to kiss him softly. She broke the kiss softly, her lips brushing tantalizingly close to his. "You left before I could tell you." she said.  
  
"Tell me what?" asked Xellos, not quite daring to hope. She dropped the games.  
  
"I love you." she said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you fast enough." Here, she looked down, her eyes unreadable. "Your response took me by surprise. You can't imagine how hurt I was when you left and I couldn't find you anywhere." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Do you, do you still love me?"  
  
"How can you ask?" said Xellos. He put his arms around her. "Sore wa himitsu desu!" He tightened his hold and showed her his true answer as he kissed her tenderly. She eagerly answered him back, her eyes closing as she sunk into tender and perfect, passionate bliss.  
  
*****  
  
They spent the rest of the night talking business, mixed in with bouts of kissing and holding each other.  
  
"What have you learned so far?" asked Xellos. They were sitting on the floor, leaning against her bed.  
  
"Not much..." said Lina. "I have a question for you."  
  
"Yeah, Lina-chan?" he asked as he drew her closer to him. He kissed her neck.  
  
"Why did you have a knife with you?" she asked. She moved her head and kissed his cheek, her eyes closing momentarily, enjoying his proximity.  
  
"I was sent to kill the princess." he said simply.  
  
"And will you?" asked Lina coyly. She put her arms around him.  
  
"Maybe I'll Sore Wa Himitsu Desu her to death whenever she asks me something." he said as he looked out the window.  
  
"Poor princess!" she said. "If I were her, I'd kick you out the window."  
  
"Maybe I will then, if I get that type of response." He smiled wickedly at her as he kissed her on the lips once more.  
  
"Anyway," said Lina, her face flushed after the kiss. "We need to talk business. Have you found out anything about Albuntra?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. She laughed and hit him on the head.  
  
"Baka." she said.  
  
"I have a question, Lina-chan..." he said.  
  
"Ask away." she said. "If I'm in a merciful mood, I might even tell you the answer."  
  
"I love that nightgown. Where did you get it?" He whispered this into her ear. He felt her face go up quite a few degrees, temperature wise.  
  
"You like it?" she asked shyly, not looking at him. She fiddled with the hem of her robe, nervously, not quite ready to look up at him. He forced her to look at him and smiled wickedly.  
  
"Like it?" he asked. "No. Love it? Yes. The satin cloth, the lace, the design, short and straightforward, just how I like it. I don't have to use much imagination... your legs, fascinatingly long in your gown, sometimes, I just want to..." He kissed her ear and nibbled on her ear lobe. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this..." Lina flushed.  
  
"Pervert." she said softly as she bopped him on the head, but softly, her face still red.  
  
"Lina, I have a question." he said after rubbing his head.  
  
"Ask." said Lina. She snuggled up to him.  
  
"Did you find out anything about Albuntra?" he asked.  
  
"What do I get if I say yes?" said Lina.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!"  
  
"And if I didn't?" she kept on.  
  
"Um... I get to see your nightgown again!" he said. She elbowed him in the stomach.  
  
"Too bad for you then,..." she said. "I know who Albuntra is, and where his scroll is..." She was interrupted by his lips covering hers.  
  
"Congrats, Lina-chan!" he said. "What do you mean too bad? Both ways, I win!"  
  
"But, because I had the information, you owe me something!" said Lina.  
  
"How about...?" said Xellos. "How about,... Marry me, Tirla Celina Inverse?" Lina giggled but stopped when she saw his serious face. She blushed.  
  
"You mean it?" she asked softly, shyly. With him, forever? She'd be with him, the rest of her life... sounded nice.  
  
"Yes." said Xellos. He knelt before her, holding her hand. "Will you be my little wife?"  
  
"What do you mean by little?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.  
  
"Sorry, I take that back. Especially after seeing you in your nightgown." said Xellos cheerfully. "So, what do you say? I can do whatever you want. You don't want to cook? I will do so with pleasure! Not only will it get you fed, but it will build up your immune system by ingesting toxic wastes everyday. And if you want, I can sew and mend your clothes. And I can wash, or just snap my fingers..."  
  
"Xellos." interrupted Lina. "You're rambling."  
  
"Gomen ne, Lina-san." he said. "I haven't had too much practice..."  
  
"Take a deep breath, and start again." she said. "I'm sure you'll do fine." So, Xellos, being the good little boy he was, took a deep breath and started once more.  
  
"Would you, Tirla Celina Inverse, Knight of Chaos, Enemy of all who live, Bane of all Restaurants, Bandit Killer, Dramatta, and the most gorgeous woman alive, who just in case you are wondering, is not small in my eyes, be my wife? To love and cherish me with all my inanities and quirks, to kiss me when I get a boo-boo, and all that stuff? Of course, it's reciprocated."  
  
"Xellos..." said Lina softly. "That was so romantic! NOT!" She took his hand and lifted him up to his feet before kissing him on the nose. "Do I look like an idiot to you? Of course I'll marry you!"  
  
This time, Xellos initiated the lip lock and kissed her tenderly. She kissed him back, just as fervently. Lina broke the kiss for a while.  
  
"Are you asking me to marry you just because you want to see me in the nightgown?" she asked mischievously. "Or for another sick, perverted reason? Or because you genuinely love me?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said as he kissed her again. After a while, he stopped.  
  
"You want to know the truth?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah." she said softly, still dazed from the kiss.  
  
"All! But mostly for the first two." he said mischievously. Lina bopped him on the head and laughed.  
  
"You do understand, that we'll have to wait a while?" asked Lina. "We have work and all that stuff..."  
  
"I'm willing to wait..." said Xellos. "Can you?"  
  
"What makes you think I can't?" asked Lina, semi-crossly.  
  
"Well, I don't know..." said Xellos his eyes twinkling mischievously. "You can decide when we get married, I don't mind. You, on the other hand... might not want to wait that long..." Lina grabbed his hands before they began wandering.  
  
"I don't think so, buster." she said. "I'm wondering, can you?"  
  
"Wanna bet?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Bet what?" asked Lina, her eyes lighting up. A challenge!  
  
"How about,..." He stopped and began to think. "How about... granting one wish to the other."  
  
"So, when I win, you grant me one wish." said Lina. "I like that."  
  
"If you win. But since I'm going to win, you're going to owe me one wish." said Xellos with a smirk.  
  
"When will we start?" she asked.  
  
"When this is all over." said Xellos. He drew her to sit on the bed. "After all, can't have my darling Lina-chan distracted on the job, can I?"  
  
"And how do we know who looses?" asked Lina.  
  
"The first one we get a rise out of." said Xellos happily.  
  
"Deal!" said Lina. She stuck her hand out. He took it and shook it hard.  
  
"You're going down!" he said.  
  
"As if!" she said.  
  
"We'll see about that." said Xellos. "See ya around! Got work to do." With that, he gave her hands a quick peck before he vanished. Lina sighed and stared out the window happily.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES...  
  
Hi!!!!!!! I'm back!!! And I'm out on summer break!!!!! Hurray, hurray, hurray. Like Amelia says... "Life is beautiful!!!!" Well, anyway, ... I just had to get that out. I'm a free girl, from now until August! Well, not really. I found a job. Yeah, me, with a job... stop snickering!!! ^^ Well, I work at the school where they pay me way less than minimum wage in the States, but that's cause this is Ecuador we're talking about, and I'm only a lowly high school student... *sniff, sniff* I want more money!!!! I work from 9 to 4:30 in the afternoon. Aren't I hard working? It's almost like going back to school!!!! ^^ Anyway... what else... how do you like this chapter?? It's a bit longer than the other one, I think... or maybe it's just my imagination... ^^ Well, back to the story. What do you think??????? Do you like??????? Well, what else... Can anyone guess where I'm going with all of this junk? What in the world will Zelas do?? Hm.... mystery, suspense!!! jajaja!!! Well, drop me a review if you're nice... but I don't have to worry about that, cause you're all nice, right??? ^^  
  
Someone, answer me!!!!  
  
Well, please Read and Review. Comments and Criticism are extremely, extremely welcome! Loved something? Tell me! Hated something? (well, I hope you didn't...) Tell me!  
  
OK, Take care!  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Quotes...  
  
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." -Derek Bok  
  
"Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile."  
  
-Anonymous  
  
"It's okay to be human; most people are." -Unknown  
  
And a fun one... ^.^  
  
"I am a student. Please do not fold, spindle, or mutilate me." -Free speech movement, 1964 


	15. The Gang's all Here! (Well... most of th...

Slayers: To the End...  
  
By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer...  
  
Hi! You guys are so smart you don't need me to repeat the same silly thing over, but well... it's polite to write this down. All credit goes to the wonderful owners of Slayers, who invented such a wide array of cool characters to write about! No monetary profit is intended by writing this little blurb. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 15  
  
The Gang's all Here! (Well... most of them...)  
  
Amelia looked at the letters in her hands. There was a frown on her usually happy face. There were letters in her hands, from all over the place. Numerous attacks on behalf of the Mazokus were occurring. Not all the targets were human cities, though. Some were Gold Dragon temples. Of course, the Dragon's had retaliated. Why had the Mazokus started to attack? Amelia thought it had to do something with Lina and Xellos, but she wasn't sure. She sighed and wrote orders for relief teams to be sent to attacked cities, or towns who were stuck in between the fight of the two races. She looked at the fireplace.  
  
Lina and Xellos had left about a week ago. They weren't back yet. She was worried about them. Shouldn't their mission be finished already? And she was running low on help! What was she to do? There was only a certain limit of help she could send to the cities and towns. Sure, there were other kingdoms who were also sending relief, but hers were the most experienced of the lot. She had the most competent white mages people had ever known. Seyruun, being the capital of white magic, had had that reputation for a long time, now. But even her mages could get tired. There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in." she said tiredly. A servant came in and dropped off a note for her. One long, busy week. Zelgadis was out practicing, getting himself up to snuff by fighting Gourry. She could tell he was worried. Ever since Ms. Lina left... Could it be... did he like Ms. Lina? Her heart ached at that thought. No! She had to stop thinking about that. She had jobs to do. She read the letter and smiled. Good news at last! Ms. Lina always came through! She smiled at the letter that came from Seerin. Help was on the way.  
  
*****  
  
Zelgadis breathed hard. He held his sword in front of him in a ready stance. Gourry watched him from across the field. They two had been sword fighting for almost an hour now. Gourry looked fresh. He, on the other hand, was a little tired. He still had to get used to his human body. One of the things he was learning, was that his stone body had a little more endurance than this one.  
  
The two ran at each other again, sword meeting sword in the air. Turn, swipe, attack, block, parry... He leapt in the air and did a twist to land behind Gourry and once more, the attack was on.  
  
After a while, they took a breather.  
  
"Gourry, you've really improved." said Zel as he wiped the sweat from his human face. It was so neat to feel his human skin once more.  
  
"You aint that shabby either, Zelgadis!" said Gourry. He smiled as he sat down. Silence. Both decided to clean their swords and go see how Amelia was doing. This past week had been very hard on her, they could tell. Sometimes, she didn't eat with them, preferring to eat in her office, where everything was within an arms reach. Everything being, of course, quills, paper, stamps and letters.  
  
"Hey Zel, do you think Amelia will mind when we visit?" asked Gourry as they walked towards Amelia's office. He was still Amelia's guardian, and that had remarkably changed him. He had always taken his duty as Lina's guardian very seriously. Now, Zel could see that same devotion while working for Amelia.  
  
"I don't think so." said Zel. "After all, we hardly ever get to see each other." They knocked on Amelia's office.  
  
"Come in!" said Amelia from inside. Zel and Gourry did so. "Mr. Zelgadis! Mr. Gourry! Hi!" Her face was shining and she looked very excited.  
  
"How are you, Amelia?" asked Gourry.  
  
"Oh, fine!" said Amelia.  
  
"What have you been doing here?" asked Zel, eyeing the huge stacks of paper that looked as if they would fall over any time now...  
  
"Oh, sending out relief stations to many places." said Amelia. "Lots of casualties mean a lot of tired mages. So, I try to send enough so that the mages can share the load."  
  
"Do you have enough?" asked Zelgadis.  
  
"Oh yes!" said Amelia happily. "The cause of justice always have support!" She raised her hand in a victory sign. "Well, and Ms. Lina sent back up!"  
  
"Lina!?" asked Gourry, his eyes lighting up. "She's back?"  
  
"No, sorry..." said Amelia. "I haven't heard from her for a while. Have you heard from Ms. Lina, Mr. Zelgadis?"  
  
"Nope," said Zelgadis, his face sad. "I wonder how she's doing."  
  
There was an awkward silence. Suddenly, Amelia spoke, trying to lighten the mood up.  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis? Could you explain to me who Captain Stonewall is?" Zel got a little red.  
  
"Um... that would be me." he said. "How come?"  
  
"Huh?" asked Gourry. "Why Stonewall?"  
  
"Um... Mr. Zelgadis used to be made out of stone remember?" asked Amelia. "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis! That's a nice nickname! How did you get it? I read it on the letter, saying that they'd like to repay the debt to Ms. Lina and Captain Stonewall and be led under him."  
  
"Well, um..." started Zelgadis.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
The field looks like a mess. The troop of bandits were no match against Lina, but Lina wasn't here. Truth be told, Lina was doing research on his cure, and he wouldn't let a bunch of silly robbers interrupt her research. It didn't matter to him that the 'bunch of robbers' were very many in number. Why were they attacking? They claimed Seerin used to be their headquarters long time ago, and they, (the descendants) were here to take it back. Or something like that. So, why was HE here? Well, he was training a few young people about the art of fighting and living. Lina called it... the art of robbing bandits of their probably robbed gold so that we can eat more at restaurants. But, these kids wouldn't understand. So, here he was, watching a bunch of robbers come at him with weapons held high. His 'students' were behind him, hiding behind bushes and trees.  
  
There was a clash, and everything was covered in smoke. His students gasped.  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis!"  
  
"Teacher!"  
  
"He's dead!"  
  
"Ms. Tirla's gonna kill us!" And of course...  
  
"Aaaaaaagh!!!!! we're all gonna die!"  
  
The smoke cleared. All the fifty some bandits who had tried to breach Zelgadis where on the floor. Zelgadis was standing off to the side, smirking slightly, not even sweating.  
  
"You guys can come out now." he said. "We have a few more to fight."  
  
There were cheers and yells coming from the hidden troops.  
  
"Look! It's the Captain, standing like a stonewall!" said one.  
  
"Um... that's cause he is..." said another one softly. No matter, though. The whole troop ran out to cries of "Captain Stonewall!" and promptly bashed the oncoming bandits with ease. Then the promptly looted the robbers and left them alone. Maybe when they came back to fight, they'd have more gold. Lina was so proud of her students...  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"So, why were they afraid in the first place?" asked Amelia. "From how you say it, they knew how  
  
to fight."  
  
"They were scared." said Zel. "First time in the field and all that stuff."  
  
"That's so cool, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Amelia. "Doesn't it make you feel good, knowing that there is a group out there who admires you?"  
  
While Zel did think it was nice, he'd never admit it. After all, wasn't he the cool guy who didn't need anything? Not even adulation from a zealous group of followers? Nah.  
  
All of a sudden, there was a huge ringing noise. Amelia ran to the window, threw open the shutters and peered outside.  
  
"What's happening?" asked Zelgadis.  
  
"That's the enemy bell." said Gourry. "Only rings when trouble is approaching." Being in Seyruun, helping for some time meant that he learned a bit about Seyruun's warning system. Amelia peered at the sky.  
  
"I don't see an ..." she trailed off.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Zel as he also rushed to the window. Wordlessly, Amelia pointed to the silhouette of a dragon flying towards them. Zel would have panicked,... except that just then, the dragon turned and they could see its profile. Slowly he relaxed.  
  
"Do you think we can trust it?" asked Amelia.  
  
"I think so." said Zel. "I'm pretty sure we can."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" asked Gourry.  
  
Zel pointed at the dragon. "Maybe because the dragon's wearing a huge bow on its tail? Reminds me of Filia, don't you think so?"  
  
"You're right!" said Amelia excitedly as she squinted to see the dragon.  
  
"Since when do Dragons wear ribbons on their tails?" asked Gourry.  
  
"Ever since Filia took to the skies..." muttered Zel.  
  
"Let's go and greet her." said Amelia.  
  
*****  
  
"Hello, Amelia, Zelgadis, Gourry!" said Filia excitedly. "How are you doing?" She was wearing the same thing she always did. A priest's hat, ear muffs, and her typical priestess outfit, in white, gold and pink. Doesn't she look wonderful?  
  
"Oh, we're doing fine!" said Amelia. "Why are you here, Ms. Filia?"  
  
"Don't you remember?" asked Filia. "Lina told us to meet here to plan for the attack of those awful Mazokus! So, where is she?"  
  
"Um... Lina isn't here now." said Zelgadis. "She left one week ago with Xellos to recuperate a manuscript."  
  
"With that nanagomi!!!!!" she screamed. "What is Lina doing, traveling with that Mazoku?"  
  
"Ex-mazoku." said Amelia. "Remember, he's Chaos Knight with Lina also!"  
  
"Oh... yeah..." said Filia, slightly deflated. "Still. One never knows what is going through his mind. He always has a secret agenda. I don't trust him." She looked at them and blinked.  
  
"Um... Zelgadis... you look different!" she said.  
  
"You finally noticed!" said Zel with a smirk.  
  
"He's human now!" said Gourry with a self-satisfied smile.  
  
"Isn't it cool, Ms. Filia?" asked Amelia, all happy and bubbly. "Mr. Xellos and Ms. Lina turned him back into a chimera with their new Chaos magic!"  
  
"Xellos helped?" asked Filia, amazed. "Amazing! Still, I bet he has a hidden plan or purpose for helping Zelgadis."  
  
"Well... Ms Lina and Mr. Xellos aren't here." said Amelia. "I was wondering, could you help us, Ms. Filia?" Filia smiled.  
  
"Sure!" she said. "Besides, working a pottery shop is fun, but during these times, no one buys pottery!" So Amelia led them back inside to talk war plans over. Two minutes after they had entered, a commotion was heard outside the castle, near the gates. Curious, Amelia went to investigate what all the noise was.  
  
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"  
  
Amelia winced. She recognized that laugh.  
  
"Of course Princess Amelia knows who I am!" kept on the voice. "I am the fantabulous, wonderful, extraordinarily great and beautiful, Naga! The White Serpent! Biggest rival of the infamous Lina Inverse!" Amelia went out to settle down the commotion.  
  
"Yes, I know her." she said tiredly to the guard. He was one of the newer guards, and of course, had never heard of her long lost sister. "How do you do, Gracia?"  
  
"Naga for now!" said Naga. "I've been fine! How's my rival, Lina?" Amelia sighed.  
  
"Go inside and you'll see Zelgadis, Gourry and Filia. Wait for me and then we'll tell you, OK, sis?" she asked tiredly.  
  
"OK!" she said. "I'll make a detour at the castle's cellars, OK Amelia?"  
  
"Sure..." said Amelia. What a headache. She started to back in, when she heard something else at the gates. Curious, once more, she went to see what was happening.  
  
"Hi Amelia!" said the lady at the gate. Her purplish hair shone in the sun. "Tell this nice guard to get let me in! He doesn't believe that I can cast the Dragon Slave."  
  
"Um... just let her in." said Amelia to the guard. "She's Sylphiel, a priestess."  
  
"Oh, Amelia! How are you doing?" she asked excitedly. "Is Gourry here?"  
  
"Um yeah..." said Amelia. "He's inside. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you guys." So with that, Sylphiel skipped into the castle. Amelia was left with the guard.  
  
"Um... princess..." said the guard. "If I may, you have very weird friends."  
  
"You don't even know the rest of it." said Amelia. She sighed and went back inside.  
  
*****  
  
"OK!" said Amelia. "Order in the court!" They were sitting around a huge table. Amelia stood up to make herself heard.  
  
"What court?" asked Gourry. He was sitting beside Amelia, as her guardian. Sylphiel was sitting beside him.  
  
"No, not a real court!" said Amelia. "It's just a figure of speech."  
  
"How many figures does speech have?" asked Gourry, a little confused.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Gourry! I'll explain it for you." said Sylphiel excitedly.  
  
"So, why are we here?" asked Zelgadis. He was sitting beside Amelia. Filia was on his other side. And Naga sat beside Filia and Sylphiel. And that completes our circle.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Amelia. She got stars in her eyes. "That's an excellent question!" Zel sweated.  
  
"We're here to discuss the nanagomi!" said Filia vehemently.  
  
"What about Mr. Xellos?" asked Amelia.  
  
"But Xellos isn't here!" said Gourry.  
  
"Exactly!" said Filia. "He's stolen away Lina for his evil, no good purposes!"  
  
"He did?!?" asked Gourry. "That's awful! Amelia, you have to excuse me to find Lina and save her!"  
  
Amelia felt like crying. So far, only Naga hadn't said anything, and that was because she was chugging another bottle of an alcoholic beverage she found in the cellars.  
  
"No, Mr. Gourry." said Amelia. "Ms Lina isn't kidnapped by Xellos."  
  
"Oh," said Gourry. He sat down.  
  
"Don't you remember that he and Lina left on a mission for the Lord of Nightmares?" she asked.  
  
Filia, Sylphiel and Naga gasped. Of course, Naga's was more of a hiccup.  
  
"Oh yeah!" said Gourry.  
  
"OK! We're here to discuss the current situation between Mazoku and Ryuzoku!" shouted Amelia.  
  
Everyone shut up.  
  
"Amelia's right." said Zelgadis. "So, listen up." Amelia got very happy.  
  
"OK," she said. "Filia, what can you tell us about this?"  
  
"All I know," she said. "is that the Gold Dragons think the prophecy has come to pass and are setting up stages."  
  
"What does that mean?" asked Gourry.  
  
"Well," said Filia. "We, the Gold Dragons, unlike the Mazoku, are keepers of prophecy. One of our prophecies talks about the beginning of the end of the world. Supposedly, when Chaos calls her two, the Mazoku will strengthen dramatically and unstability will ensue. It is up to us, the Gold Dragons to maintain the peace and balance of L-sama's world." There was a pause. "At least, that's what we were taught."  
  
"How accurate is this reading?" asked Zelgadis. Something smelled... fishy.  
  
"Very accurate!" said Filia. "Why, it's the head Dragon, leader of the Gold Dragons, who read it and deciphered it!"  
  
"How can Chaos choosing two Knights unbalance the power so much?" asked Zel.  
  
"I always wondered that too!" said Filia. "But now, it all makes sense to me! One of the Chaos Knights is Xellos, a nanagomi! I bet he uses his power to benefit the Mazokus. That is why we must get rid of him."  
  
"Don't be so quick to judge, Ms. Filia." said Sylphiel.  
  
"You don't even know who he is!" said Filia. "By the way, who are you?" Amelia slapped her head.  
  
"I totally forgot! We have to introduce ourselves!" she said. "Gourry, you start!"  
  
"I'm Gourry." he said. Silence. "Gourry Gabriev."  
  
"OK," said Amelia. "Sylphiel, you're next!"  
  
"I'm Sylphiel Nels Lahda. I'm a shrine priestess."  
  
"I'm NAGA!!! The White Serpent!" *hiccup* "I'm Lina's greatest arch rival!" She sat down.  
  
"I'm Filia Ull Copt. I'm a Golden Dragon and a priestess."  
  
"I'm Zelgadis Greyweirs."  
  
"That's you, Mr. Zelgadis?" asked Sylphiel. "Wow! You're finally human!"  
  
"I'm glad for you." said Filia.  
  
"Um... who did you think I was?" asked Zel.  
  
"Well, I thought you were Amelia's fiancee or the prince of Seyruun. You look so dashing, Mr. Zelgadis!" said Sylphiel. Amelia and Zelgadis blushed.  
  
"And I'm Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun!" said Amelia, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Princess of Seyruun."  
  
"OK, now that we know who we are, let's get down to business." said Zelgadis. "Why don't we let Amelia speak to tell us how everything is so far." He added this when he saw Filia about to open her mouth.  
  
"Thanks Zel!" said Amelia. "OK, so... we all agree, that we are bystanders in a dispute between the Gold Dragons and the Mazoku. We don't know why the Mazoku started to attack. The Gold Dragons counterattack. We, the humans, get hurt in the process."  
  
"What are you doing about it, so far?" asked Sylphiel, all worried.  
  
"Well," said Amelia. "We, the city of Seyruun, have received many notes and letters asking for relief. As upholders of justice, we have sent out many of our white mages. As a result, we are low on personnel, but! We have received a letter promising more than half a city's worth of white mages."  
  
"Where did that many come from?" asked Filia, quite curious.  
  
"From Seerin." said Amelia. "And the bonus,... they are not only white mages, but black mages also! It's an offensive and defensive packet in one!"  
  
"So, looks like you have that covered." said Filia. She had taken out her tea things and was drinking some tea. "What else?"  
  
"Food." said Zelgadis. "During wars, food supplies always dwindle."  
  
"It's not a war, though." said Amelia.  
  
"It could very easily escalate into a war." said Zelgadis coolly. "We must be ready for any emergency."  
  
"Ok,..." said Amelia. "Well... I haven't thought about that... I don't know what to do."  
  
"I suggest you build up supplies and impose a week/month of slight fasting in honor of our fallen comrades, or something like that. All you have to do is rally the people behind you with a speech of justice and all that. That way, you have extra food. If the war turns out good, then, you reward with an abundance." said Zel simply.  
  
"That's such a good idea!" said Amelia. She wrote it down in her small notebook. "OK! What's next?"  
  
"Filia's prophecy." said Zel.  
  
"Yes..." said Gourry. "Does it mean that Xellos is a bad guy?"  
  
"Yes!" said Filia.  
  
"No!" said Amelia and Zelgadis together. They looked at each other and blushed.  
  
"How do you know?" asked Filia.  
  
"I have my reasons," said Zelgadis. "Depends what you think Xellos will do. If you think he'll kidnap Lina and turn her into a Mazoku, I don't think so. Does he have a secret plan? Yes, I think so."  
  
"OK," said Gourry. "I trust in Zelgadis." He relaxed.  
  
"How can you just leave it like that?" asked Filia.  
  
"I trust in Lina!" said Naga. "She may be flat-chested, and small, and with a bad temper, but only I am worth being a rival to her. This Xellos you speak of, he is only a trifle in comparison with me!" She sat down.  
  
"Who's she?" asked Gourry, as he ogled at her. Sylphiel tried to gently force him to look elsewhere.  
  
"Who am I?" asked Naga. She stood up, holding on to her chair. "I am..."  
  
"She was at Lina and Xellos's induction meeting." said Amelia.  
  
"I journeyed with her even before you met her!" she said. "We went to Mipross Island, and visited the hot springs! And found treasure. And saw a magic show where they served lots of wine." She giggled (sorry, laughed uproariously) and sat down, immediately downing another chug of wine. Amelia sighed.  
  
"Someone shut her up..." whispered Zel as he winced from her extremely loud and annoying laugh. Naga then promptly fell asleep, snoring just as loud. Amelia winced, called for some attendants and had her dragged/taken away.  
  
"Now, we can talk about normal things." said Zel.  
  
"So, what are we going to do?" asked Gourry.  
  
"That's a good question!" said Amelia. "I don't know."  
  
"Oh, my." said Sylphiel. "What are we to do, then?"  
  
"Well, I can't stay here in Seyruun," said Zelgadis. "I have a troop to lead."  
  
"Yes! That's true!" said Amelia. "Mr. Zelgadis is leading a small defense force on parts where fights go on."  
  
"That includes Dragons, Filia." said Zelgadis. "We don't really want to fight, but I've been thinking. If you think you can fight wherever and whenever, we can too."  
  
"I understand," said Filia. "What can I do?"  
  
"Well, I will be busy writing out letters and establishing chains of command. I need Gourry with  
  
me, though. So, I can't do much. Could you train priests here along with Sylphiel. That would help a lot." said Amelia, getting extremely business like.  
  
"Train them what, Ms. Amelia?" asked Sylphiel.  
  
"Simple things. Cure and shields will be nice. We don't quite need magic on the level of Resurrect  
  
or something similar." said Amelia.  
  
"OK," said Sylphiel. "No problem."  
  
"OK, that's about it!" said Amelia. "Meeting is adjourned."  
  
With that, the people left the room, and went to their guest rooms where they could rest. They'd have another meeting later. Only Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis were left.  
  
"So, what else?" asked Amelia. She looked very worn out.  
  
"It's a good idea to give them all something to do." said Zelgadis. "That way, they'll be busy preparing, and not bickering. What will Naga do?"  
  
"Naga's my sister, Gracia." said Amelia. Zel and Gourry looked at her surprised. "Really! Can't you tell? Anyway, she's royalty also, even though she ran away. Maybe while I travel and send help and organize, Naga can take care of the kingdom." Zel could just imagine Seyruun after Naga took over.  
  
"How about... we let her be a figure head?" asked Zelgadis. "She doesn't know too much about ruling a city... leave her with an advisor. You can make up a story about how Naga returned to help her people stand firm during the war. Something inspiring like that."  
  
"That's a good idea!" said Amelia. She hugged him. "I don't know what I'd do with out you, Mr. Zelgadis!" He blushed.  
  
"But, you have to stop her from drinking and looking like that." said Gourry. "Not many people will follow a Princess who looks... different."  
  
"No problem, I'll just convince Gracia to comply!" said Amelia. And they left the room.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES...  
  
Well, this is about it. It's a little short, gomen nasai... I got a bit stuck...jeje... sorry... more about Lina and Xellos in the next chapter. I have it mostly done...(Ok, about half way done)... So, well, what do you think? (Sorry it took some time. I had it written out, but I rewrote it cause I didn't like it...) If you think it's awful, tell me! I need input here! Please help! So, all begging put aside, thanks for all the cool reviews! And for reading this thing! It really makes me happy and makes my day thinking that somewhere in this world,... people are reading... ah... it touches my heart... ^^ So, see ya around! Read and Review, Comment and Criticize, and all that... it is more than welcome.  
  
So, take care!  
  
Thank you, my wonderful reviewers!!!!!!  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Quotes...  
  
"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself." -Ralph Waldo Emerson  
  
"In a world of water who can tell when the goldfish weep." -Madeleine L'Engle  
  
"Women are meant to be loved, not understood." -Oscar Wilde 


	16. Wedding Plans and Demon Hunters...

Slayers: To the End... By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer... You know, after a while, one tires of writing the same silly disclaimer, over and over and over and over and over and over... yeah... so I'll try to think of something new and interesting and witty.... *sits and waits... * It's not coming... Well, Slayers doesn't belong to me. The characters are borrowed from their wonderful creators and no monetary gain/profit is meant by publishing this little blurb of a story. (sorry, my muse failed me.... ^^ )  
  
Chapter 16 Wedding Plans and Demon Hunters...  
  
L-sama looked at them and smiled. She was so happy!!!! Things were going along perfectly! But something made her frown. Well, that was something she hadn't expected. Not that her Knights couldn't handle it, but it did put a new twist into the game.  
  
*****  
  
Lina woke up with a smile on her face. And a happy Lina was a good thing, just in case one didn't know Lina too well. And why was Lina happy? Because, last night, and for the past few nights, the man of her dreams had come to her window, and they had talked, and they had kissed and they had hugged, and passed a wonderful time together. She sat up and hugged her pillow, remembering last night. Sometimes, they went to the roof of the palace, and just sat and watched the stars. Of course, when she finally found a constellation, she turned to find a Xellos half asleep, or making a face at her. Of course, she bopped him on the head to wake him up, and he would grin at her and ruffle her hair. Or he would kiss her. He loved it when she hit him like that, she knew. He called them 'his little love taps', whenever he was slightly tired and in a weird mood. She personally thought it was cute. She could beat him up and not worry about him getting too hurt. *insert wicked smile in here* They didn't do too much talking about themselves though. Business was more important for the present moment. Albuntra was going to finish the last prophecy today. She had told him that she would finish the writing today, and then make a copy of it. Then, they could get home, and fix up the problem, and then focus on their bet. And decide when the wedding would be and who to invite, and whether to have a small wedding or a huge wedding... Lina giggled. And looked at herself amazed. She stared at the mirror in her room. Her eyes were twinkling, and her cheeks were flushed. Who would have know that this was how an excited and love-sick Lina would be? She had never imagined herself as the type of person who would fall head over heels in love with one of the strongest ex-Mazoku around. Well, she never thought she'd become Chaos Knight either... Life was so full of quirks... but she liked it! She pirouetted in her room as she held her pillow, her red hair twisting behind her. Her jubilation was interrupted by a knock on the room. She threw on a robe and opened the door.  
  
"Yes?" she asked to the servant in a kind manner.  
  
"Um... a message from your father the king, Princess Lina..." she said shyly. She handed her a message with the royal crest imbedded on a seal of wax.  
  
"Thank you!" she said. Even the servants were nicer to her, ever since they had noticed the change that had come over their 'beloved' Princess. Lina closed the door and broke the seal to read the message.  
  
To my daughter, Princess Lina of Urdia: Greetings from his highness, King Marduk and his wife, her highness, Queen Meesha. We would enjoy your presence today for breakfast. Do come by. Sincerely, your parents  
  
'Great', she thought. 'Now I have to meet my so called parents... What in the world am I going to do?' She dressed up and looked at herself in the mirror, crossed her fingers and went out the door. A servant was there and led her to her parents room and left. Lina took a deep breath, composed herself and entered the room.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos was happy. He always looked happy, but today, he was really, truly happy. How wonderful! He watched the sun rise. Having the watch from 2 in the morning till wake up time was peaceful. Especially since no one was awake except him. That gave him a chance to put up a shield around camp and then fly to Lina for a little visit. Thinking about Lina... the dawn's red and orange hues reminded him of Lina's hair, cascading down her back in perfect waves. Gosh, was it just him, or was he getting poetic? Nah, just his imagination. Had he wanted to be poetic, he would have said... How beauteous the hues of the rising morn do but enhance the myriad of gold and ruby that cascaded down his love's slim back.... or something about the lines. Nope, he wasn't poetic at all. Thinking of Lina made him so happy. In a way, he was glad he wasn't a Mazoku, or else, he would have died from his own feelings. His eyes were half open as he took in the silence and peace of the camp. Time to play his little pranks! He had been to nice and good for the past few days. Besides, Misty-san was really driving him crazy with her unending, eternal seeming, care and concern. And the fact that everyone knew that he called her 'sugar bunny' wasn't funny.  
  
Seriously, though, he had to think of something. He didn't want them to try and kill the Princess. They'd probably be back with fire burns and lower the morale of the group, and he couldn't have that. So, he had to come up with a reasonable excuse for not killing Lina. And Misty-san had been badgering about why he hadn't killed her. Oh well, he'd think of something. After all, he was the Trickster Priest. He was so into his thoughts he didn't notice Misty coming up to him.  
  
"Boo!" she said. He didn't jump. After the millions of years he had lived, fine and precise body control was easy. "Oh, you're impossible to scare!"  
  
"That's because I know you." he said calmly, hoping she'd go away. No such luck.  
  
"Xellos, hon," she said softly as she leaned against him. Xellos controlled himself and didn't bash her on the head with his staff. "Why didn't you kill the Princess?" she asked for the millionth time.  
  
"I told you." he said. "The Princess wasn't there."  
  
"But why did you stay away so long??" she asked. "I stayed up so late, waiting for you!"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said as he shook his finger at her. Which meant that he freed his captive arm! Victory!  
  
"Oh, Xellos... you're so funny!" she gushed. "You look so cute like that!!!" Xellos sweat dropped.  
  
"Um... how about starting the breakfast fire?" he asked her. Hopefully she'd go away.  
  
"Sure!" she said. "But, after breakfast, I'll come for you and we'll spend some quality time together, 'K? These past few days, you've been so distant!" She kissed his cheek and skipped off. Two skips and a half later, she tripped and fell down. She got up quickly. "Jeje... sorry!" She smiled at him and went to start breakfast.  
  
Xellos shuddered. Quality time.... that was scary. It was weird. Normally, you imagine some rebel's female sidekick to look lean and fit and skilled. She had the looks down... But a sidekick was also supposed to be, he didn't know... good at archery. Know survival skills. Know how to track and evade. Be able to blend into the woods. Unfortunately, Misty didn't have that part down. She was a bit like Amelia in that way. Sort of klutzy, and the grace of a hippopotamus on ice. Almost as if she were always off balance the whole time. And she moved her butt around too much for his liking. The only butt he ever wanted to admire was Lina-chan's.... of course, she'd fireball him for such a thought. Hey, that wasn't so bad after all!!! Delicious! Just thinking about it made him shiver with delight. Well, no time for pranks now, unless he did them by magic. For some reason, though, the people here had this thing against magic. Well, perhaps later. When everyone was sleeping or something. Besides, he was still thinking about his darling Lina-chan. Then a thought struck him. He still had to get Lina an engagement ring! How silly of him to have forgotten all about it! And poor Lina, she probably had wanted one, and he had forgotten all about it. Oh well, he'd get one for her for tonight.  
  
*****  
  
Lina entered the room and saw her 'parents' at the end of the room. She was about to walk up when she felt a hand restraining her.  
  
"What?" she asked the guard.  
  
"I have to present you." said the guard. Then in a loud voice, he spoke.  
  
"Her highness, Princess Lina." Lina winced at the loudness of his voice. "You can go now." he whispered to her.  
  
"Thanks!" she whispered. And she walked to them. As she neared, she saw first her 'father.' He looked so much like Melf. It took a lot of self control to not change her expression. Why did the king look so much like Melf? But this Melf had red hair. Oh well, the Princess's hair had to come from somewhere. Her mother... she gasped inwardly. Her eyes widened slightly, and that was all her body would show. Inwardly, though...  
  
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' she thought to herself. Well, screamed was more like it. 'She looks just like Luna-oneechan!!!!!!!!!!!!' Had she had it her way, she would have bolted from the room, hidden under the red carpet she was walking on. Anything but walk up to her. It was amazing just how alike they looked. The queen had purple hair with bangs that covered her eyes. And she had a small, spooky smile. And she could so imagine the Queen dressed as a waitress. She curtsied to them.  
  
"Oh Lina!" said the Melf look alike. "You look very nice today!"  
  
"Lina." said the Queen. Lina cringed. Luna would use that exact voice whenever she was in trouble.  
  
"Good morning, mother and father." she said softly, trying to control her trembling voice.  
  
"Let's eat." said the Queen. Lina couldn't help but notice. The Queen was just as busty as her sister was. And she should know. She charged tickets to all the guys to see her sis bathing... And she had sold pictures also. They walked to a huge table. They sat on one end, and she sat on the other. Breakfast was silent, since... well, it was a little hard to talk when you are trying to be heard by someone a few eight meters away without screaming your lungs out. Lina tried to behave, and ate as ladylike as she could. By the end of the meal, she had almost spilled her glass of juice twice, but her quick reflexes had saved her. She watched her parents carefully. She was sure that they were talking about her. And how out of it she was. And how different she acted. And how she almost spilled her juice. And many small things.  
  
But amazingly, nothing! Luna's twin didn't speak to her, and the King was silent. After breakfast, though...  
  
"Lina, I would speak with you privately." said the king.  
  
"Take care, Lina." said the Queen. "And remember, mind your manners. Spilling juice over yourself is not what you want to do to please your guests."  
  
Lina looked up, gave her a weak smile and then curtsied to her before following her father. Fortunately, she hadn't fallen over while curtsying. They entered a side room.  
  
"Sit down, Lina," said the king. She did. "Well, Lina, I'll be frank with you. You're old enough to take on new responsibilities, but you are still a little wild. Now, don't interrupt." Lina didn't say a thing. She wasn't planning on interrupting, truth be told. It'd be nice if someone told her how she usually acted.  
  
"I know you like to be independent and all that stuff Lina, but lets face it. Your actions are going to have severe consequences." said the King.  
  
"But what have I done?" she asked innocently. The king sighed.  
  
"Lina, don't pretend. I know you don't like me or your mother. I understand. I hated my parents at your age. It was nice of you to remember it was your mother's birthday today and acted politely without screaming at us." Lina was stunned. Wow, she was supposed to hate her parents. So, had she screamed and run away, she would have been acting correctly. Wow...  
  
"Anyway... your mother and I have thought about this carefully." said the King. "You are more than ready, and we hope that this good streak of yours will continue. But you will need help to keep you on the road. So,..."  
  
"What did you decide for me?" she asked semi-crossly. According to her dad, she wasn't supposed to be a demure maiden.  
  
"Well, we decided, since you are old enough and more than ready... well. You'll be married. Tomorrow. To the Prince of Tethu, Kimun." said the King.  
  
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????????" She shouted. "NO WAY I'M GETTING MARRIED TO SOME UNKNOWN GUY!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Lina, this is for your own good, please understand." said the king tiredly.  
  
"I DON'T THINK SO!" said Lina. She quieted down a bit. "I am not planning on getting married. NO way! Not to some weird guy I've never met! I don't even know if we have the same tastes!"  
  
"Oh, that's all your worried about?" he asked. "Don't worry dear! He's the type of guy you like. Easy to trick and gullible." Lina sweat dropped. The more she learned about the Princess she was supposed to be, the more she decided that she utterly disliked her.  
  
"But I don't want to get married to someone I've never seen! I set very high standards, you know!" she said, trying to think of any excuse she could use.  
  
"He's already in love with you, Lina. He's heard all about you, and he still wants to marry you. Besides, he's filthy rich! You always wanted to marry a rich, old guy. Didn't you tell us that you preferred to marry some old geezer just to get his money and watch him die?"  
  
"When do I have to leave?" she asked, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Um, after lunch!" he said. Lina's jaw dropped. "Now, before you say you won't have time to pack or anything like that, don't worry. At this moment, the servants are packing your stuff for you."  
  
"I don't want to leave today!!!!" she said.  
  
"But hon, the trip takes almost a day. And the wedding has been planned at the Tethu palace! I'm sure you'll like it. I told Kimun all the dishes you like and what colors you like."  
  
"Did you tell him that I'll probably stab him in the stomach with a fork if he even touches me?" she asked crossly.  
  
"Now, now, now, Lina..." he said. "No need to get so uptight about it. It'll work out wonderfully, I'm sure!"  
  
"I don't want to get married!" she said. She told herself that she shouldn't fireball her father. It was probably against the rules. She could see it somewhere. 'Thou shalt not Fireball your father or mother when dealing with their idiotic ideas.'  
  
"Look, Lina. The matter is closed and sealed." said the King. "You are leaving for Tethu after lunch, and that is that!" He left the room. Lina was left looking at the closed door.  
  
"I don't want to get married to the ole geezer," she whispered. She left the room, wiping her eyes. Of all the awful things that had to happen... she went into her old room. It was pretty much empty. What in the world was she going to do?  
  
'OK, Lina' she thought to herself. 'Shape up. You're not gonna get married. But the real princess won't want to either. So, find a way to fix it up. Now, tonight, Albuntra was supposed to finish the scroll. I can't pick it up. I could run away from all of this... But Lina Inverse doesn't run away!'  
  
She found a piece of paper and briefly wrote a note explaining that she couldn't come by tonight to do the scroll. That got her thinking again.  
  
"Albuntra will be broken hearted..." she said softly. And as much as she didn't like the princess, she did have her good points. To be willing to fall in love with a commoner when she herself was so rich shouldn't be taken lightly. So... what to do? Her mind thought furiously.  
  
*****  
  
Breakfast was over, and his doom was coming. Well, something like that. He was presently 'hiding', so that Misty couldn't find him. He was doing all sorts of odd jobs. He volunteered to do dishes, because they had to be taken to a faraway creek with the cook to wash. And the cook's company was better than Misty's. But someone was doing dishes already. So, he decided to go scout ahead. So, here he was, looking carefully about him. Well, this was a little boring, so he floated around. It was much more efficient. It made less noise, and didn't leave tracks. Suddenly he felt a presence near him, and he landed on the ground quickly. He turned around saw Misty staring at him with wide eyes.  
  
"Oh, hi Misty!" he said. "I see you finished breakfast, right? Was it good?"  
  
"Um.. Xell, hon... were you flying?" she asked, her eyes wide and open, full of an unknown feeling.  
  
"Well, what do you consider flying?" asked Xellos agreeably. He was smiling happily and didn't look worried at all.  
  
"Well, none of your feet were on the ground." said Misty.  
  
"Like this?" asked Xellos. He jumped up and sat on a tree branch.  
  
"No, you weren't on a tree branch." said Misty. "Oh, Xellos. Stop teasing me! You were like, floating around!"  
  
"Or like this?" asked Xellos. He jumped down and started to walk on his hands. "My feet aren't on the ground either."  
  
"Xellos... you can tell me!" she said. "You're learning magic, right?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" said Xellos. He was walking in circles around her. He finally stopped.  
  
"You were flying! Or at least, floating!" said Misty. "Like this!" This time, she began to float. "Right?"  
  
Xellos looked at her, surprised.  
  
"You know magic?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, silly." said Misty as she floated around him. "How else could I fly? I can fly just like you!" Her eyes narrowed.  
  
"So, what are you doing, practicing forbidden arts?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Simple, Xellos!" she said coyly. "I'm a demon hunter! I need to know magic. How else would I know who was human and who wasn't?" She was practically grinning now.  
  
"How fun!" said Xellos. "Found any yet?" He shifted his posture slightly.  
  
"Well, I have a lead or two. Heard someone in our group was a demon of sorts." she said. "A very powerful demon, they told me."  
  
"So, have you found this demon of yours yet?" asked Xellos calmly.  
  
"I might have." said Misty. "Want to hear about this demon? Since you know magic, we can hunt together."  
  
"I don't know if I'd be any good." said Xellos. "I'd probably get in your way."  
  
"I'm sure you'd be fine." she said. "I'm sure you'd do better than just fine..., wouldn't you, Xellos?"  
  
"Maybe." said Xellos. "So, tell me what did you want to talk about after breakfast?" Misty blinked at the change of topic and dropped on the ground.  
  
"Oh, just wanted to spend time with you." she said. She latched on to his arm and put her head against his shoulder. "I love spending time with you. Just that recently, you haven't had much time. And well, I'm slightly busy hunting. So, tell me... what about you?"  
  
"Um... nothing much..." said Xellos as he rubbed the back of his head with his free, left hand.  
  
"You're always gone, it seems like." said Misty as she stared adoringly at him. "Like the night before last, I felt something strange and I woke up, thinking it was the demon. But all I found was nothing. And you had vanished. I couldn't find you anywhere. I thought the demon had taken you or something."  
  
"Last night?" asked Xellos. "That's weird."  
  
"Well... what have you been doing, sneaking around at night?" she asked.  
  
"Me? Here and there." he said simply. "Watch gets boring at night."  
  
"Well, then. That's why I'm here!" she said. She giggled and dragged him. "Come on! Let's look around!" So, for a while, Misty ran and dragged him behind her.  
  
"You know something, Xellos?" she said. They had stopped for a while, and were resting.  
  
"What?" asked Xellos. He was still wary about her. Either she was schizophrenic, had mood swings... or was planning something.  
  
"I was told by this guy,... with really cool teal eyes... that I'd find the demon in this group." she said.  
  
"Oh... what was his name?" he asked.  
  
"Mel something..." she said. "Anyway,... he told me something really wild... He told me the demon was you!" She burst out laughing. "Can you believe that???? You, a demon? I told him you were an assassin, but not a demon. Just because you were a rebel leader and all that, he thought you were a demon!"  
  
"How wild is that..." said Xellos. "So, what did this guy tell you?"  
  
"He said that you were the most powerful demon I'd find here. I just laughed at him. You aren't one, I told him. And he just looked at me and told me to beware! I thought it was a riot!" She continued to laugh.  
  
"Well, so... when did you meet this guy?" he asked. Something was fishy.  
  
"Oh, don't be jealous!" she said jokingly. "I saw him about a week and a half ago. And then, he sort of walked away! I almost thought he was a demon too! But I couldn't feel an aura against him."  
  
"Oh..." said Xellos. Of course, if Misty couldn't tell that he wasn't exactly human... well, how was she supposed to tell if someone else wasn't exactly human either. "So, do you think I'm a demon, Misty-san?"  
  
"NO!!! Of course not!" she said. "Someone as friendly and as smart and as sly as you couldn't be a demon." Xellos sighed inwardly. Her description sounded a lot like how he used to be before turning into Chaos Knight. They spent the rest of the afternoon talking. Xellos decided, since she was nice enough to tell him about this demon, he'd pretend to be nice to her. She deserved that much.  
  
That night, he took the fifth watch, around midnight to three in the morning. When it was his turn, he once again shielded the area and left off to fly and find Lina. She had to know that someone was after them. And a pair of eyes watched him fly into the moon less night.  
  
He reached the castle and flew up to Lina's window. Odd, it was dark, and the window was closed. Oh well, no problem for him. He teleported inside the room. To his surprise, he found the room empty. Well, not empty. The bed was still there, but the covers were gone, and the closet was empty. Where in the world was Lina? Was she playing a trick on him? They had to get back soon, because danger was approaching, he could feel it. He turned around and walked around the room, trying to find clues to Lina's whereabouts. His eyes picked up a glimmer near the window. It was a small note, tied up with a long strand of ruby red hair. He would have missed it, had the moonlight not shone on it. Wait, the moon wasn't out tonight. His eyes narrowed as he saw a pair of eyes stare at him. He grabbed the note and dodged the oncoming fireball launched at him. It broke through the window and the fire started on the closet, which was made out of wood.  
  
"You won't find her." said a voice, right before another fireball was sent in after him. His staff appeared in his hands and he redirected the fireball back at the eyes. The eyes widened and then vanished right before the fireball hit it. Xellos flew out the room, through a water based attack into the room to douse the fire and searched for the guy who just attacked him. There was no magical aura near him. Whoever it had been, he had escaped. He noticed that people were running to see what had happened. Well, he couldn't stay around then. Making sure he had the note, he left.  
  
When he was sure nobody was around, he opened the note up. He was up in a tree, close to the camp, in case Misty once more noted his absence. This time though, he was using his magic to camouflage his aura and himself. He opened the note. It was written in a messy handwriting, one that Xellos easily recognized as Lina's.  
  
Xellos, Stupid parents of the princess sent me off to marry a stupid old geezer prince in Tethu. So, couldn't pick up the scroll. Wrote a note to Albuntra to tell him that I had to leave and that he had to put the scroll together. Also told him I was sending a messenger to pick up the scroll. Password: Sore wa himitsu desu. Stop laughing! I know you're laughing. I told him you'd be there by one in the morn till three. Find me tomorrow. Tirla  
  
There was a map drawn. Hm.. he had to go find Albuntra now, before they got to him also. So, he followed the map's instructions and quickly found the house.  
  
He knocked on the door. Who in the world would be up at this time anyway?  
  
"Who's there?" asked a voice.  
  
"Princess Lina sent me." he said quietly.  
  
"Not good enough." said the voice. "I need proof. What's the password?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu." said Xellos quietly. The door opened and a head peeked out, looked about wildly and then pulled him in.  
  
"So..." said Albuntra, taking in the purple hair, the purple eyes, the purple trimmed cloak... "You like purple?"  
  
"Um... yeah." said Xellos. "Can I have the scroll now?"  
  
"No." said Albuntra, his eyes staring at him. "How do I know you are the one the Princess sent? Take a seat. You're number 4." He pointed at a row of chairs, with a guy on each chair. Xellos sat down in the last chair.  
  
"Well, so why are you here?" he asked the guy next to him.  
  
"I'm here to pick up the scroll, impostor." said Guy #3. How did Xellos know that one was Guy #3? Well, he had a sticker on him that said #3.  
  
"Here's yours." said Albuntra. He stuck a sticker on Xellos that said #4. Xellos stared at him and then at the others. #1 had black hair, and black eyes. Black because he looked like someone knocked him out. #2 also had black eyes, but brown hair. He looked like he had been in a scuffle also. #3 had green eyes and brown hair.  
  
"OK,..." said Albuntra. "Pay attention, all of you. I don't know who the real guy is, but it's one of you. It's after three, so, one of you must be it. I have the scroll, hidden in a lock that the Princess did for me to protect the scroll. Now, I will ask each of you what your relation to the Princess is and what your proof is. You, #1, can start. And no funny moves. I may look a little amateurish, but I'm a sage, and know exactly how to turn each of you into a little frog for lunch tomorrow." He sat down and #1 stood up.  
  
"My name is Hakim. I am Princess Lina's servant in the castle." said #1. "I have served under his Highness King Marduk and his wife, her highness, Queen Meesha for 12 years. Here are my papers." He handed the papers to Albuntra and sat down. #2 stood up.  
  
"I am Jobet." he said. "I am Princess Lina's teacher in martial arts. Here's my paper." He also sat down, after giving the paper to Albuntra.  
  
"My name is Maverick." said #3. "I am her personal cook. I know her favorite dishes." He also took out his papers. Xellos gulped. What the heck was he supposed to say. He couldn't quite say, I'm Xellos, the Trickster Priest... AND he couldn't say he was a Chaos Knight along with Lina... so, what to say?  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES... Jajajajajaja!!!!!!!! I left you all on a dreaded.... *drumroll* .... cliffhanger!!!!!!! *insert evil laugh here* OK, anyway, what do you think? I liked this chapter! Did you catch all the twists and turns I put in here... I tried to write something that was halfway predictable, but then tried to give it my own twisted turn to it! What do you think of my efforts? Did it work? Can you tell that I rebel against normalcy? (well, only a bit...) Anyway, I'm glad you guys are reading this blurb... you guys make me so happy! Thanks for being the awesome readers you all are! Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and remember, keep em coming!!!! Please R and R and C and C... criticisms are EXTREMELY WELCOME, so if you have any, fire away! Yeah, all that. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day!!! Have fun!  
  
Take care!  
  
Hotaru Kimiko Lai 


	17. 101 Ways to Get U Kicked Out...

Slayers: To the End... By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer... Can a person get writer's block while writing a disclaimer. I think so. So, with that said, please be merciful on my disclaimer, cause I can't think of anything better at the present moment. Slayers aint mine.  
  
Chapter 17 101 Ways to Get U Kicked Out...  
  
Xellos stood up.  
  
"My name is Xellos." he said. "I am Princess Lina's magic teacher." he said. "I don't have papers, since magic is not allowed to be practiced, much less, taught." He sat down and smiled inwardly. He could tell by their faces, that they hadn't expected that. If Lina had worked with Albuntra, then he knew that Lina knew magic.  
  
There was silence as Albuntra considered their claims and read through their papers. Albuntra spoke while making notes.  
  
"#1, what position did you serve under his Highness King Marduk and his wife, Queen Meesha?" he asked.  
  
"I was their page." he said.  
  
"Where you always with them?" asked Albuntra.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Even today?" asked Albuntra.  
  
"Yes. I am very loyal to the family." said #1.  
  
"So tell me, what did the King tell his daughter today after breakfast?" Albuntra looked up at him expectantly. #1 paused as he thought.  
  
"Um... the king told the Princess that she had behaved well during breakfast." he said.  
  
"What else?" asked Albuntra.  
  
"Nothing else." said #1.  
  
"Thank you, you may rest." Albuntra wrote something on his notebook and looked at #2.  
  
"#2.... when do you usually teach the Princess?" he asked.  
  
"I teach her in the mornings every other day." answered #2.  
  
"So, when was the last you talked to her?" asked Albuntra again  
  
"This morning." he said promptly. "She had to leave and told me to pick up the scroll at night."  
  
"Where did she go?" asked Albuntra.  
  
"She didn't tell me. It was a private family matter and she wouldn't tell me." said #2.  
  
"OK... #3, what dish does the Princess hate?" asked Albuntra.  
  
"The princess likes all dishes." said #3. "She doesn't have any that isn't her favorite."  
  
"OK,... #4... what is the Princess's favorite spell to cast?" asked Albuntra, this time to Xellos.  
  
"That's pretty simple," said Xellos. "Her gut level reaction spell, and her favorite one is the simplified Fireball." Hopefully, he got the answer right. That was the only spell he could think off, other than Dragon Slave or some such.  
  
Albuntra jotted some notes and nodded to himself. He smiled to himself also.  
  
"You guys all did wonderful." said Albuntra. "A few slips here and there, but I will give you another chance. You must give me something that characterizes the Princess." The four 'candidates' were confused. What would characterized the Princess? Xellos thought. He probably didn't want a Fireball sent his way either... what did he have that was as chaotic and unpredictable as Lina?... A light bulb went off at the top of his head.  
  
"I have something." he said to Albuntra. Albuntra nodded. Xellos took him aside and showed him something in his pocket. Albuntra saw it and nodded.  
  
"Anyone else have something?" he asked the rest. No takers. So, Albuntra basically shooed them out of the house. "Well, nothing else to see here, go away." Then he turned to Xellos. "Make them forget this happened."  
  
"With pleasure!" said Xellos. He was grinning and his eyes were closed. With a wave of his staff, a cloud enveloped the three men for a while before it vanished. He pocketed Lina's note. What else was as chaotic as she was, other than her handwriting?  
  
"A pleasure to meet you, Xellos." said Albuntra as he shook his hand. "You're the only one with a slight magical aura about you." Xellos's eyes opened slightly at that.  
  
"You know magic?" he asked.  
  
"Some." said Albuntra. "The Princess taught me some before this happened. Enough to read auras. Besides, I write prophecies."  
  
"So, what happened?" asked Xellos. But Albuntra was staring at him.  
  
"So, you are the one she likes." he said softly. Xellos was slightly taken back.  
  
"Um, excuse me?" he said.  
  
"Oh, here, read the note she left me. I'm getting the scroll." said Albuntra. He left the room. Xellos curiously opened the note. It read...  
  
Albuntra... Before I start... make sure you're reading this in a quiet and private place. I have a lot of things to say. First of all, although my name is Lina, I'm not the Lina you know. I come from a different dimension. Although that may seem weird, listen to me. I was sent here, along with my friend to locate a copy of the scroll you will finish tonight. Unfortunately, I have been called away to marry some old prince in Tethu My 'father' just told me today after breakfast, the idiot! Don't worry, I'm doing everything I can to make sure that the Princess won't marry the idiot in Tethu. I'm sending a note to my friend to come pick it up. The password is Sore wa himitsu desu. Please believe me. You wondered why I was different and cold. That's because I don't reciprocate your love, for I'm not your Princess. So please, trust in me, and hand to my friend, he is a priest, the copy of your scroll. Everything will work out fine. Send my greetings to him. He should be there from one till three. Take care, and tell him I love him. Lina Tirla Inverse  
  
Xellos smiled as he read the note. Trust Lina to find a way out. They say honesty is the best policy. In this case, it was true. Albuntra walked in.  
  
"You read it?" asked Albuntra. He saw the smile. "I guess you did. She's a wonderful person to work with. Tell her I said Hi. You're very fortunate to find someone like her."  
  
"Thank you." said Xellos. "Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
"Oh, I was surprised, but it made sense. Lina's control over her magic had improved a lot, and she was different. So, I knew her story was true. So, I wrote up a copy and I heard a knock at 1. I thought it was you, but then I heard a scuffle and a fight. I peeked and saw two people fighting. So, I blew a paralyzing drug at them and dragged them in. They thought it was magic or something like that. Both knew the password... so I couldn't give it to any of them. So I stuck them in chairs and taped a sticker to them and waited for the rest. Then came number 3, who looked very surprised, and finally you."  
  
"Sounds like you had an interesting night." said Xellos. He took the scroll and put it away. "Well, thank you very much."  
  
"Where will you go?" asked Albuntra.  
  
"Now that, is a secret!" said Xellos, wagging his finger at him. He vanished.  
  
Albuntra smiled. Now he knew he had given it to the right person. Why else would Lina have chosen the silly phrase Sore wa himitsu desu for a code?  
  
*****  
  
Lina sighed. It was night, and she was traveling in this stupid coach, and she couldn't sleep, because she was worried to death and the coach was traveling on a bumpy road.... and yeah, she was also frustrated, and her time of the month had just come. How could things get worse?  
  
"This is stupid!" she said out loud. She had her own coach, so no one was with her, which was good. "I mean, if they let me use magic,... and if I could, then I could cast levitation.... This is so awful!!!!!!!" Of course, this last part was softer so that people didn't know what she said. To answer her unspoken question, from a distance, the sky thundered, and the harsh pitter-patter of big raindrops bouncing of the top appeared. And the wind blew, and lightning flashed. And Lina groaned in pain. What time was it anyway? So, she poked her head out and motioned for someone to come.  
  
"Princess!" said the guard. "You shouldn't poke your head out! You're all wet now." This was the guard who had opened the door the other day and who was keeping her secret of being able to practice magic.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, it is one hour till sunrise, Princess." he said.  
  
"When will we get there?" she asked.  
  
"In about five more hours." he said.  
  
"That's it, you can go now." she said. He left.  
  
"So, Xellos probably got the scroll already, I hope." she said to himself. "I wonder if he'll drop by..."  
  
And she dug herself under covers and leaned against a wall and fell asleep, her arms pulling her knees up to her.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos appeared near the traveling coach, wearing his cape and a hood, so that you couldn't see his eyes. Her liked this look, it made him more mysterious. The scroll, was all dry and safe. He hadn't read it yet. They would read it together. Lina would probably bash him on the head if he did read it before she did. Speaking about Lina, he wondered,... was Lina ready to leave and go back? Probably not, she was planning to fix the Princess's life. So, he smiled.  
  
If anybody had seen him, they would have been surprised to note that his cloak was not wet, and would have felt spooked on seeing his smile. They would have been more surprised, when they saw him wave his staff and vanish from sight, only to appear in Lina's coach.  
  
"Knock, knock!" he said cheerfully, his eyes closed. When he didn't get a response, he opened his eyes and looked around. Yup, this was Lina's carriage. Lina was there, crawled up in a corner, and sleeping... maybe that is why she hadn't answered him. He smiled. She looked so innocent and kawaii like that. And he wanted to sleep. He had left a note for his fellow companions that he had left and that he'd be back later. So, he carefully lifted Lina up, slowly, with his magic. He sat down, and set Lina on his lap. He clasped her to him and rested his head in her damp red locks. And slept peacefully, feeling very happy and content, holding in his arms, the only thing he actually cared for.  
  
*****  
  
Lina awoke softly when the rays of light hit her eyes. She groaned and winced and got up. She was still in her coach, though. She was all rested and feeling better, although her lower abdominal muscles still told her that she couldn't perform magic yet. She stood up, groaned and then sat back down. Something purple caught her eyes on the windowsill. She looked at it and picked up the note. It was a light purple note with her name written in darker purple. Three guesses as to who had written it. She got it right on the first try.  
  
Dearest Lina, How are you? Thank you for the little message. I have the scroll. Hopefully, I will see you tonight, ne, Lina chan? And I wish you tons of luck and with what you're trying to do. Would have talked to you, but you were sleeping. Did I ever tell you that you look kawaii while asleep? Oh well, now you know. Take care, Xellos.  
  
She stared at it. He had the coolest handwriting she had ever seen! It was the total opposite from hers. Her handwriting was huge and scrawled out, majorly slanted and nearly illegible, but that was good, right? His, on the other hand, was very nice and neat. He wrote in small cursive letters with huge capital letters. And the coolest thing... it was also nearly illegible! She felt envy rising up in her, but she choked it down. It was silly to be envious of his handwriting. After all, he had centuries to perfect it. But his handwriting was so cool!  
  
*****  
  
Lina stepped out of the coach and stared at the palace before her. She was dressed in a pearly white dress, with bronze trim. She put a frown on her face and stared at the palace. No way she would marry the geezer, and she was going to do everything she could to make him realize that marrying her was not a good idea. She took out a pair of spotless white gloves with a lacy edge and a fan with white peacock feathers. She stood up straight, pasted on an intelligent looking frown and glanced at the task before her. Lina Inverse was here. From a nearby tree, Xellos had to bite back a laugh.  
  
"Welcome, Princess Lina," said a guard at the gate. "His Excellency, the Prince of Tethu awaits you." He bowed and waited for her to pass by him and go inside and make his life relatively easier. Instead...  
  
"Are you wearing a brown uniform?" she asked. She peered at him closely while forcing him up. Sure enough, he was wearing a brown coat of arms as a badge. The rest though, was white.  
  
"Um, yes, Princess Lina." he said. "Do go in, the Prince is waiting for you."  
  
"I will be more than glad to, but that brown,...thing... must go away!" she said. She snapped her fan open and waved herself with it. "It is so dreadfully hot here." She was about to go in, when she eyed the floor critically. "Is it me, or is this stone?" There was an insulting tone to her voice.  
  
"It's made of granite, Miss Lina." said the guard awkwardly.  
  
"I knew it!" she said. "Did you know that granite is harmful to birds, such as canaries?" The guard shook his head, wishing to be anywhere else but here. "It is! I can't believe you guys didn't know that!" She raised her arms and let them fall in a sign of resignation. "What is this world coming to?" Curious, the guard decided to ask her a question.  
  
"So, what wouldn't be as harmful to birds?" he asked.  
  
"I'm so glad you asked!" said Lina happily. "I say,... you need quartz, but not just any mind you. For example, take rose quartz..." And Lina babbled happily with the guard. After they finished...  
  
"Well, the Prince is awaiting you." he said.  
  
"Oh, let him wait!" said Lina. "What am I to him, a trophy princess? He thinks he can just wait inside and not pull out a red carpet for me, or come and greet me? Well, things are definitely going to change. And unless there is a red carpet, of velvet, mind you, I will not go in!" She sat down with a 'hmph' and took out her fan and fanned herself. The guard just stared at her. "Go on, tell the Prince that I, Princess Lina of Urdia, refuse to go in, treated like some nobody!" She looked the other way, and the guard quickly left to tell the Prince.  
  
'What an eccentric Princess...' he thought to himself.  
  
After a while, the guard came back, following the Prince to the entrance. Behind, a red velvet carpet was being unrolled, and some trumpeteers were following, ready to trumpet the Princess's entrance into the palace. The Prince arrived at the gate, and found...no Princess.  
  
"Well, where is she?" he asked the guard. He had brown eyes and brown hair and tanned brown skin. He wore a white suit that made a nice contrast. He wasn't an old geezer, but he was an older man of about 67, with a wrinkled face. Xellos watched from a tree. This was so fun!  
  
"She was here a while ago, highness." said the guard.  
  
"Ask her servants then." said the Prince, gesturing to the servants walking about the front, carrying the Princess's luggage. The guard nodded, asked them and came back.  
  
"They say she went off for a walk." he said.  
  
"A walk? Where?" he asked, half annoyed. He had been pulled away from a very important conference with his advisor. The Princess had to be in, and ready for the wedding in eight hours. Now was not the time for walks.  
  
"In the royal gardens..." said the guard meekly. The Prince sighed. His royal gardens were a huge maze. Many times, he had lost gardeners due to the fact that it was a huge maze. With huge walls. Sometimes, his newer ones would stumble across the older ones... Usually, they were lost, hungry, dehydrated... a very sorry sight.  
  
"Find her before she gets lost. Bring her here. I'll escort her in, and carry on with the preparations for the wedding." said the Prince. He sat down on a bench and waited. The guard bowed and quickly dispatched a troop of guards to find the Princess. Meanwhile...  
  
Lina was having fun. This was a cool garden! It was like a huge maze. And there were so many flowers and plants. She was about to get some, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, ready to talk in a haughty voice when she saw amethyst eyes. He smiled at her, bowed with a flourish and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.  
  
"For my lady." he said jokingly. Lina giggled. "The exit is a two left turns, skip an opening on the left, three right turns, skip three openings on the right, and then one left turn."  
  
"Why, thank you..." she said softly, a goofy smile on her face. He kissed her hand and then vanished slowly. Lina smiled and kept on with her walk, going for the outside. Hopefully, the ones after her would get lost. She sniffed the flowers and sighed. They smelled a little like him.  
  
Having made it out of the maze safely, she thought... what should she do now? Oh, take a walk and see what else they had! She hummed softly and started to walk around, peering into the servant's quarters, and the kitchens, and the wash rooms. She took a huge platter from the kitchen and found the pond. With a smile, she sat at the edge and took off her shoes and socks before sticking them in the cool water. It felt nice, and she had been starving. It was probably time for lunch anyway, and she wanted to eat. (It really wasn't, but Lina had a warped sense of time when it came to food.) So she smiled, swung her feet in the cool water and ate her chicken. And that's how the guards found her.  
  
"Your highness!" they said.  
  
"Yes?" she asked nicely and cutely.  
  
"Um... the Prince awaits your presence at the front gate." they told her, huffing and puffing and sweating.  
  
"Oh, thank you!" she said. "You can escort me! Could you bring me a towel to dry me feet off?" So, they sent a guard to get a towel for her. After she dried her feet off, put her socks and shoes on, and finishing her food, she got up, snapped open her fan and let herself be led back to the Palace Gate. There, she saw the Prince waiting for her.  
  
"Good afternoon, Princess Lina," he said as he kissed her hand. Lina quickly drew away her hand.  
  
"Good afternoon to you too, Prince." she said coldly. She motioned for the guard who was carrying her towel to come nearer and wiped her hand on the towel. A guard snickered.  
  
"Can I escort you in?" asked the Prince. She was pretty all right. And feisty. And a fighter. And driving him crazy.  
  
"Yes." she said. The Prince signaled the trumpeteers, and all together, they gave a huge blast, to indicate the entrance of the Princess. "Ouch!" she said.  
  
"What's wrong, my dear?" asked the Prince.  
  
"The fifth trumpet on the left. He's flat!" she said. "Oh my,... My entrance is ruined!!!!" With that, she started to cry. Xellos smiled as he watched her antics. And to give her credibility, he untuned the fifth trumpet on the left for her.  
  
"My, you have a good ear!" said the Prince. He tried to calm her, not quite sure how to... He have her an awkward hug and was pushed back by her hands. Her tears forgotten, she turned on her trusty and patented, Inverse Glare of Death on him.  
  
"Don't touch me!" she cried out. "How dare you! You would not even greet me, and send your guards after me. You set out a carpet for me, covering up your awful sins to the birds of the sky. You starve me so I have to find the kitchen on my own. And now, you use a faulty trumpet! Not only that, your badge is BROWN!" She wiped her eyes. "No... I refuse to enter the palace!" She stomped away. The Prince sighed, rubbed his forehead and ran after her.  
  
"Put her belongings in her room." he shouted to them. He found her sitting on a stone, staring somewhere else, fingering something in her lap. He picked up a few flowers.  
  
"Please accept my most humble apologies." he started out. She didn't look at him. He offered her the flowers.  
  
"No thank you. I have my own." she said.  
  
"Princess, I am truly sorry." he said as he walked to the front of her so that he could see her face. She was really pretty, he decided. "It was not my intention to insult you."  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked him.  
  
"Yes, very sure." he said. "We are going to be married this afternoon, and I want you to life happily here beside me as my wife."  
  
"Oh... bleugh." she said. "Oh well, apology accepted." she said half heartedly.  
  
"Follow me while I lead you to your temporary room." he said. Lina sighed and followed him.  
  
As soon as she arrived in her new room for the day, she ordered the servants around for food. Immediately, they brought her a few plates of food. She quickly wolfed them down.  
  
"More food please!" she said to a servant who was passing beside her door. So they brought her more food. And more. And more. And then...  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THERE'S NO MORE!" she shouted. The servants cringed.  
  
"Um... the rest is for the wedding. Could you wait till the wedding?" asked the cook.  
  
"NO!" she said. "I'm hungry now! When is the wedding?"  
  
"In about six hours, Princess." said the cook.  
  
"WHAT!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO WAIT SIX HOURS FOR FOOD?" The cook unplugged his ears, ran out and ordered that they buy some food from a restaurant to appease the Princess. Lina smiled to herself. This was fun! It was quite cool to order so many people around. She mentally called for Xellos and he appeared. She locked the door and closed the windows.  
  
"What can I do for you?" he asked as he bowed.  
  
"Give these away for me, please?" she asked as she pointed under the bed. Curious, Xellos lifted the bed up with magic and saw all the plates of uneaten food. At his quizzical look, she giggled. "Well, I'm not that hungry, but I have to make this guy realize that marrying Lina would be a huge mistake. She already likes the Albuntra guy anyway."  
  
"I'll pass it out to some poor people outside, is that all right?" he asked with a smile.  
  
"That's a great idea!" said Lina. She kissed his nose. "You're so smart!" Xellos laughed.  
  
"OK, but be careful. I think someone is planning something. So, be on guard." he said before vanishing. Lina smiled wickedly and tugged on the bell rope. A loud ding resounded across the castle. And then her shout accompanied it.  
  
"I want CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!" After all, it was her time of the month. And if she didn't take advantage of it,... well, that was another opportunity lost.  
  
*****  
  
Knock, knock, knock.  
  
"Yes?" asked Kimun, the Prince of Tethu. "Come in." It was the cook.  
  
"Um, your highness?" he asked softly. "Are you busy?"  
  
"I'm busy, but speak your piece. What's the matter?"  
  
"Um... it's the Princess sir." said the cook. "and her appetite."  
  
"What about it?" asked Kimun. He was tired and grouchy and was impatiently dealing with a cook and the wedding would be happening soon...  
  
"I just wanted you to understand the nature of the bill when you receive it." said the cook. Kimun just stared at the bill the cook offered to him. How could one petite little Princess eat all that?  
  
*****  
  
Kimun sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had dismissed the cook and was trying to rest. It wasn't working. OK, so... Lina wanted to play hard to catch, huh? Oh well, he'd comply. She wanted a little bit of fun? With pleasure.  
  
*****  
  
Lina heard the knock and ran to open the door. She absolutely hated the dress. It was white... with tons of lace... and flowers,... and butterfly designs. Ugh... she didn't want to puke over her dress while walking down the aisle.  
  
"Yes?" she asked to the servant. "What do you want?"  
  
"Um... the Prince asks you to stop ordering so much food and to wait for the wedding..." she said, half scared to death. How would she take it?  
  
"And why?" she asked dangerously. "...should I obey him?"  
  
"Because he said he can't afford to spend more money on food..."  
  
"He's the Prince! He has tons of money! He could throw money out of the windows of the palace, and everything would still be OK! So, I want chocolate cake! And make it snappy!" She slammed the door in the servants face.  
  
OK, this was fun, but it was starting to get redundant. She didn't want to do this anymore. It was time to bring this to a close. She opened the window and climbed up the wall to get to the roof. Sure, it was a little hard to do it with her huge dress, but she handled it fine. After all, she wasn't just good at magic. She made it to the top with minimal problems and then she sighed. It felt good to do something by herself. Stupid dress. She almost felt like taking it off. She should have changed out of her wedding dress before climbing! Aaaaaaargh, she was such an idiot! Now, what could she do to upset the prince? She was running out of ideas. Not having magic was not helping her one bit. If she had magic, she could do some small things, make it look like she knew some, but not enough to condemn her. But she couldn't do that. And a princess wasn't supposed to act childish. So, what to do? Well, what the heck, now was as good as any other time to end this joke. So, she started off in one direction, and then stopped. She had no idea where his stupid office/room was. Stupid palace with trillion rooms...  
  
*****  
  
She finally found it, silly thing. She climbed down, and opened the window from the outside. The prince looked up on hearing the commotion.  
  
"Greetings Princess." he said as he opened the window for her.  
  
"We have to talk." said Lina.  
  
"You look dashing in the dress, my Princess." said the Prince. "And yes, we must talk. I was about to send someone for you. Come, follow me into my private office." Lina sighed and followed him, holding the dress so that she wouldn't trip. Well, at least she could speak to him... "Before you start, my Princess, I do believe I know what is happening." said Kimun. Lina raised an eyebrow at that.  
  
"I doubt it." said Lina.  
  
"Oh, but I do know." said the Prince with a smile. His eyes seemed to glow for a second, before Lina's own eyes widened. She jumped off to the side, just in time. The spot she was standing on turned into a blackened spot. "You're quick, my Princess, but just, how quick are you?" Another fireball was hurled in her direction. Lina easily evaded it, just to get hit with a Flare Arrow he had thrown right after.  
  
"Ouch." she said as she got up. "Is that a way to treat a Princess, Mister...." she said angrily. She got in ready stance for his next one.  
  
"My, my, my... do my eyes deceive me?" asked Kimun sarcastically. "The fiery sorceress supreme, Lina Inverse, is not fighting back?"  
  
Lina growled at him, and from within the folds of her awful and huge wedding dress, she drew out her sword.  
  
"I'm not as unprepared as you may think." she said as she lunged at him. He teleported out of the way of her thrust. "You're a Mazoku." she said, stating the obvious.  
  
"Why, how intelligent of you." he said. "Now, it's my turn to be intelligent. Seeing as you won't do magic, perhaps, you are unable to do it. Perhaps, incapable, at the present moment..."  
  
"Shut up." said Lina as she once again faced him off, sword at ready stance in her right hand, her left grabbing the full skirt to make sure it didn't get in her way. "What's your name?"  
  
"Oh, I'm touched." said Kimun. "Well, my name in Numik. How come?"  
  
"So that I know who I killed." she said. She jumped at him again. He dodged and fired another blast of energy at her as she went flying past him. Lina got up again. She really hated this. Having to fight Mazoku with out magic was a pain in the rear end. He just laughed at her attempts.  
  
"Now, now, Princess Lina." he said. "I know you to be very intelligent. And you must realize that fighting a Mazoku while you are facing... how can I put it?.... a delicate female problem, is not the wisest thing to do." Lina blushed hotly at that. "So, why don't you give up and let me lock you up? After all, I wouldn't want to damage such a lovely face."  
  
"Just fight! If you want to get me, you'll have to fight me first!" She was about to attack again, when Numik appeared next to her and placed a Fireball at her back. The blast sent Lina flying into the wall, where she slowly stood up again. She was breathing heavily as she got up. She really hated this. Her sword had flown across the room in the blast. Gosh, she really, really, really hated this. But she didn't have too much time to think about that as she was suddenly surrounded by a black cage.  
  
"What?" she asked, as she grabbed the bars. Big mistake. The bars shocked her, and the last thing she remembered was that she really hated having her period. Oh, and that Mazoku would die painfully. She blacked out.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos appeared in her room that night. He had been watching all day long, ever since he had distributed the food, and nothing had been happening. Well, not nothing... the wedding things had been dismantled and put away. There were not wedding cakes to be eaten nor wedding bells ringing. That probably meant that Lina had stopped the marriage, just like she had planned. How odd, her room was empty. All her belongings had been moved elsewhere. For a minute, fear gripped his heart... but then he pushed it back. Probably a misunderstanding. Lina must have left already while he was watching them put the decorations away. He hoped. Out of curiosity he turned himself invisible and walked outside, hoping to figure out something. There was something going on. But he didn't know what... Everybody was acting pretty normal, not really caring about anything and doing their job. He found himself facing an oak door. From the talk of the servants, he knew this was the Prince's room. He was about to pass by it, but something stopped him. He looked at the door. Very solid oak. Very thick walls, almost sound proof. Maybe the nagging feeling he had was because Lina couldn't stop the wedding? Or,... something. He shook his head. Thing was, there had been no fireballs or screams of rage or anything like that... but then, Lina couldn't cast magic at the present moment...  
  
BUT,... she had cast some magic. She called him before, almost as if she hadn't realized what she was doing. So, could she cast magic or not? He knew she normally couldn't cast magic during that 'time o the month.', but now, she wasn't exactly normal. So, maybe she could cast magic, but hadn't realized. Or maybe she couldn't, and period. Whatever it was, he knew he'd find a clue to her whereabouts in the room. So, he took a deep breath and went into the room.  
  
As soon as he stepped in, he was hit with a strong sense of magic in the room. Not only had the room been sound proof, but it had been magic proofed also. He could sense wisps of Lina's aura around him, but it was weak, for she hadn't cast any magic. There was another trace of magic though. One that seemed quite familiar... of a .... what was a Mazoku doing here?  
  
The room was empty, and some walls looked freshly patched up by magic.  
  
'So, Lina chan was in a fight.' he mused to himself. He inspected the walls carefully. He caught sight of a little wisp of white. He leaned to pick it up. It was a very delicate cloth piece.... part of Lina's dress, no doubt. He checked under some tables and chairs and saw what he was looking for. It was Lina's Chaos Sword. It allowed her to channel vast amounts of Chaos Magic, just like his staff did. It had been left behind. The attacker probably hadn't noticed the importance of this little sword. But the sword was cold; she hadn't cast magic through it...  
  
"Well, now to find Lina chan." said Xellos softly as he picked up the sword. It reacted to him, the pommel stone glowing softly as he stroked the sword. It was truly a magnificent sword.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES... Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are you all?? I hope you've been doing great. Finally, Fanfiction.net is up! Hurray! Poor ff.net... so many things going wrong. You're doing a great job, ff. net!!!!!! Anyway, here's the next chapter. What do you think? Can anyone guess where this is going? Then good for you! If you have no idea... don't worry, I'm sort of there also! ^.^ Anyway, I hope you found this chapter amusing and fun. Please remember to R and R. C and C are extremely welcome, as usual. Don't feel like writing a review? Drop me a note at hml_kimiko@hotmail.com So, yeah... all that! I have one more month of summer break,.... how horrible!!!!!! Oh well.... I just have to write as fast as I can, right? ^.^ Thank you for your reviews, and take care, all of you!  
  
Sincerely... Hotaru Kimiko Lai 


	18. Storytelling time!...

Slayers: To the End... By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer... Slayers doesn't belong to me. I don't own any of the characters, except for the weird ones you have never heard of until you began to read today. ^^ Please enjoy.  
  
Chapter 18 Storytelling time!...  
  
Xellos sat on a tree as he thumbed through a large book. His finger was going down the table of contents as he softly read the headings out loud.  
  
"Um... let's see.... Chaos magic's strongest attacks,... Chaos magic's weakest attacks,.... Chaos magic's middle attacks,.... What to do when tied with black magic absorption rope,... What to do when tied with white magic absorption rope,... What to do when tied with chaos magic absorption rope,... What to do when tied with rope that absorbs all magics,... New spells to use while in air,.... New spells to use while on ground/Chaotic shamanism... New spells to use while under water,... New spells to use while in the Astral Plane,... Your Chaos Staff and you,... Your Chaos Sword and you,..." He closed the book and his eyes. There were many things in there. He had only seen a few things and hadn't had enough time to read everything in the book. It would take time learning all the new spells... and he was looking for Lina's condition and how Chaos magic would affect her during 'that time of the month.'  
  
"Why don't you have an index?" asked Xellos crossly at the book. When a little translucent blue fairy appeared, he nearly died from shock.  
  
"I am The Index, how can I help you?" asked the little fairy. Xellos peered at her closely. She wore a blue gown with little blue shoes. Her hair was also blue. And she had her hair put up in an elaborate braid. Her gown had little Greek characters embroidered all over it. And she wore pink reading glasses that kept on slipping from her nose.  
  
"Um... how interesting..." said Xellos as he kept on staring at her. The little fairy took a step back from his scrutinizing, slit, purple gaze. "I'm looking for information on women conditions and their relations with Chaos magic." The fairy blushed.  
  
"Page 3578," she said. "Why would you want to know that?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said to the fairy. Then he winked at her. "What do you think?" The fairy turned purple.  
  
"If that is all I will be leaving now." she said. He nodded. She vanished. When she was gone, he laughed softly to himself. He turned to page 3578. The title? Chaos Magic and Your Changing Female Body. Part 1,... Your period and you.  
  
Xellos looked at the title... well... yeah... that was what he wanted to know... Just out of curiosity, he paged to the next chapter. He read the title to himself.  
  
"Chaos Magic and Your Changing Female Body. Part 2,... Magic and Intercourse... interesting..." said Xellos as he noted the page number. He would have to read this later. Yes he would. Now, to find out about Lina's problem...  
  
"As all female magic users know, the changing body is sometimes the biggest obstacle when trying to perform your daily duties or magic..." read Xellos. He continued. By the time he had finished reading the whole chapter, he smiled to himself and vanished from sight.  
  
*****  
  
Lina woke up and scowled at the bars holding her in. This was stupid. This was pathetic. This was driving her nuts! She couldn't cast anything! Well, not anything worth casting to seriously maim Mazoku... She sat down, careful not to touch the bars. She was in enough pain already, thank you very much. She bent double for a minute, while gritting her teeth. She'd have to find another pad soon... too bad Mazoku don't usually have pads around... All of a sudden, she remembered her sword. Maybe that could help her get out. She searched her skirts for her sword, but couldn't find it.  
  
"This is stupid!" she said out loud.  
  
"It is, I agree." said a voice beside her. Lina jumped and turned around, her hand trying to form a fireball before she remembered that she couldn't cast magic. She stared into amethyst eyes. "Hello Lina chan!" he said with a dopey smile.  
  
"Aargh! Xellos! Get me out of here, you silly ex-Mazoku!" said Lina. Her smile and twinkling eyes softened the harsh tone of her words.  
  
"Yare, yare, Lina chan." he said. "Always so impatient. Don't you want to know what I learned?"  
  
"If you read the scroll before I have, you are dead." said Lina as she crossed her arms.  
  
"Me? Of course not!" said Xellos. "I'm hurt!" He grinned at her.  
  
"Well, then... only if it's important." said Lina. "I don't have time for your little jokes."  
  
"My, Lina chan... I'm so hurt! Don't you trust me?" asked Xellos. "I always tell you important stuff."  
  
"Yeah, and you leave out the rest... Now, out with it." said Lina. Truth be told, she was glad to see Xellos. What she hated was to let him see how dependent she could be on him at times. Especially during the dreaded... 'time of the month' junk.  
  
"You have to guess, Lina chan!" said Xellos. He tossed her sword to her.  
  
"Thanks, you fruitcake." she said. She tried to cut through the barrier with her sword. Nothing very interesting happened. "So, what am I supposed to do?"  
  
"Use your sword." said Xellos, with a smile, thoroughly enjoying her annoyance. Besides... he still enjoyed teasing people, especially his Lina chan.  
  
"I did." she said.  
  
"You did it wrong." Smile.  
  
"OK, I'll bite. How am I supposed to use it then?" she asked, clearly annoyed.  
  
He smiled. Hook, line and sinker... "Channel Chaos magic through your sword." He smiled, vanished into her cage, gave her a small kiss, and vanished again. Lina was about to scream with rage when she heard footsteps. She quickly hid her sword and composed herself, by sticking a huge glare on her face. Numik/Kimun walked in.  
  
"How do you do, Princess?" he asked agreeably.  
  
"Better than what you are going to feel when I get my hands on your sorry neck." said Lina.  
  
"My, my, my... so vibrant, so funny and witty even during times of utter despair and hopelessness." She glared at him. "It's not like you could do much anyway, Miss Lina. Not with your delicate condition."  
  
"Oh, shut up." said Lina. "Just you wait... You can't keep me here forever."  
  
"I can too."  
  
"You can't.  
  
"Can."  
  
"Can't."  
  
"Can."  
  
"Can't, can't, can't."  
  
"Can, can, can." retorted Lina. Good, while the idiot of the Mazoku was having fun teasing her and playing childish games, she decided to trust her ex-Mazoku fiancee. Just like she had when she hadn't known him too well... She stuck her tongue out at him. He did it to her. She took out her sword and called out to the Lord of Nightmares. With glee, she noticed the pommel stone glowing like the sun. And from the edge of the blade, she could see the Mazoku's surprised look. Perfect. With a silent swish, she ran her sword through the bars of black magic. The blade didn't even have to touch them before they disintegrated before her eyes. She got in ready stance, one hand holding her dress, the other her sword.  
  
"Can too!" she said with a wicked smile, before she charged him. Xellos watched from the shadows. This was so fun! It was so nice that Lina had trusted him.  
  
Numik frowned as he made his own sword appear. He had been told that he had to capture Lina, and he had... of course, she was now fighting him. Darn it,... she was good with her sword. She was before, but now that she seemed to have complete control of her magic, they were more evenly matched. Had she just been teasing him by not using her magic and causing him to be overconfident and that way, plan his downfall? Probably. That Inverse was one sly serpent. He brought his sword down, just to have it blocked by Lina's sword. They stood there, both of them doing a contest of strength and wills as they stood there, swords locked. All of a sudden, Lina grinned, and kicked him in the stomach. He backed off, and Lina kicked him in the groin. He winced. That had hurt a lot... the little.... She grinned and pulled out a long strand of hair. With a smile, she cast a spell on it, one he had never heard. Poor Mazoku. This one hadn't paid much attention to Lina's recent life and developments. "Played with yarn, and played with twine, Feline's play, child's toy, Bind this one who in my presence stands, and drain him clean with contagious joy! Cat's Cradle, Variant 3!" She grinned, an honestly happy smile decorating her face. The hair in her hands shimmered in the air, floating for a while before it lengthened. It shimmered and then turned from ruby to a gold orange. It tightened around Numik and then vanished. He stood up, his face twisted into a huge smile that threatened to split his face in half.  
  
"What did you do to me?" he growled. Or at least... he tried, but his face didn't allow it. And it didn't come out in a menacing tone... it sounded... happy. And glad and joyful... He was going to majorly puke if this continued. He concentrated on his hand and took out a ball of black magic. Just as he was going to throw it at her, it sputtered and died, it's magic flying to her in a harmless way where she reigned it in and watched it dissipate.  
  
"I don't know... but whatever I did, I think you liked it." said Lina with a smile. "You're smiling, after all."  
  
"What did you do!" he shouted. Lina snapped her fingers and the hair that had vanished appeared on him, tying him up and gagging him.  
  
"Like someone I know says.... Sore wa himitsu desu!" She closed her eyes and wagged a finger at him. He felt the bile rise in his throat from all the happiness that came from both her and him. She laughed and vanished.  
  
*****  
  
She appeared in Kimun's room, Xellos beside her.  
  
"Thank you." she said as she hugged him. Xellos nearly bent over as his mind was suddenly inundated with a ton of happy thoughts.  
  
"What was that?" he asked her.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" she said with a giggle. She calmed down and toned down her level of happiness. Sure, he was happy also, but her spell caused a lot of happiness to float around her. He frowned at her for stealing his phrase.  
  
"Lina..." he whined. She giggled and leaned against him. She took him to a sofa and rested.  
  
"That was a game I found the girl's playing when I was in Seerin." she said. "I just used it as a base for my spells. The game is called Cat's Cradle. You get a piece of string, tie it into a loop and make symmetrical figures. You know my shield I made that night, long time ago..." Xellos nodded. He remembered the shield. It had been thin and delicate, but strong. "... that was another variant. The actual spell is a shape-shifting string that ties up the person and drains their magic. Variant 3 ties them up and infuses them with a healthy dose of joy and happiness to go along with it. Oh, and the other one can't help but smile. It's quite amusing to watch, really. It was meant for the girls to learn simple magic and get them to goof off. It obviously has other uses." She smiled and closed her eyes with a sigh of contentment. He put his arm around her. "How did you know I could cast magic? I didn't know.... I was about to scream and yell at you for not noticing that I was...um... sick."  
  
"You didn't read your manual, did you?" asked Xellos as he put his head on hers.  
  
"I did too!" said Lina indignantly. "I read the first chapter." Xellos sweat dropped. That was the chapter with the most destructive spells.  
  
"How about chapter 56?" asked Xellos.  
  
Lina fidgeted. "Um... no..."  
  
"Thought so," said Xellos, a smug smile on his face. Then Lina stood up suddenly and ran to the bathroom.  
  
"I'll be back!" she said before the room slammed shut. Xellos smiled. Lina was so unpredictable. It was quite cool, really.  
  
When Lina finished dealing with her complications,... they put together a plan to cover themselves.  
  
"Are you sure this will work?" asked Xellos as he looked at the script that Lina had written out for him. They were going to erase everybody's memories and then write out something for them. Which was why Lina had written a quick story and forced him to read it. "It's a silly story."  
  
"WHAT?????" asked Lina, her eyes glinting dangerously.  
  
"Um... nothing Lina chan. I was just saying how sensible you are!" said Xellos as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.  
  
"Good." said Lina. She was going to get the energy required to put up a huge shield that would contain all the magic going on inside it without any leakage to the outsides areas. With a quick chant, her talismans started to glow their gold color, complete with their sporadic flashes of silver and black. As soon as she had the energy, she raised her hands up, her eyes shut with concentration. Xellos watched her at work. Seeing Lina channel so much raw power was truly a wonderful sight. There weren't many who had as much talent and control as Lina,... and now, with almost unlimited power at the tips of her fingers... well, it was truly awe inspiring. Not that he couldn't do it also... but he was different. He was a Mazoku, although also a Chaos being at the present moment. Lina had been human, coming from a race of ordinary and mundane people. Even as a human, she had been magnificent, no one coming close to her when it came to Black Magic.  
  
"Xellos...." growled Lina, staring at him through narrow eyes. "Stop staring at me and read the stupid script!" He grinned and took a deep breath. All the servants were inside her magic shield....  
  
"This morning, a truly wonderful and magnificent person was expected at the Setran Castle. This wonderful and charming lady was the Princes of Urdia, Princess Lina." He made a face. "Now... Lina was a beautiful princess with ruby eyes and crimson hair... and she was here to get married to the Prince of Setra, Prince Numik...."  
  
******  
  
(Fifteen minutes later)  
  
"... and so, Prince Numik decided that although Princess Lina was a very charming lady, it wasn't right of him to force her to marry him. So, he ordered the wedding to be canceled and gave all the food to the Princess so that she could give it to the poor and needy. Also, he had her belongings moved to a real guest room for the night and would let her go early tomorrow in the morning. As a gift of good will for being so nice of a Princess, the Prince gave her one fourth of his fortune. Wasn't he nice? The End." said Xellos. It was an amusing story to say the least. Lina sighed and dropped the shield. She sank to the floor, the casting of magic having worn her out. It wasn't often one had to hold so much magic in a fixed shape for over five minutes. Xellos snapped his fingers and once more, the hustle and bustle around the castle started up.  
  
Lina closed her eyes and sighed. It was done. The servants were fast asleep and the moon was out. She was packing a few things. Tomorrow she'd go back to her parents and explain that the Prince had changed his mind and then that night, she'd read the scroll and go back home. Yeah... Xellos was reading through the manual book, looking very interested. She tried to see or read his mind, but it was tightly shut. He had just grinned at her and said "Sore wa himitsu desu!" Of course... if you looked at him carefully, you noticed his black eye and his bruising cheek... Lina hadn't taken it very well, to say the least. Lina looked out the window and sighed. The night was very calm and quiet. It'd be nice to go out and fly like the girl out there, but if anyone saw her.... wait a minute. She peered closely at the sky, her eyes narrowing to see better. Yeah,.. there was a girl flying in the sky, and she was flying towards them.  
  
"Um... Xellos." she said.  
  
"Hm...?" asked Xellos, still reading fervently.  
  
"Magic is banned here, right?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah..." said Xellos. He turned the page and smiled. This was so interesting!  
  
"So, care to tell me why there is a girl flying towards us?" asked Lina. She could see the girl was quickly approaching. Xellos made an affirmative sounding noise, not paying much attention. He did pay attention when Lina was pushed back by a dark blur and said blur had a firm grip on him. Lina stood up and looked at it dangerously. It, turned out to be a girl... who was talking to Xellos...  
  
"Oh, Xellos kun! How are you? What are you doing here? And who is she?" asked Misty, her brown eyes staring adoringly at him.  
  
"Yes, Xellos kun... who is she?" asked Lina, echoing the girls question, sarcasm dripping like yogurt.  
  
"Um... jeje... I can explain..." said Xellos, trying to calm the two girls down. Misty was eyeing Lina critically, the two staring at each other. If looks could move mountains, their glares would have re arranged most of the world by now...  
  
"Ah.. I get it!" said Misty. "Xellos kun! You are so smart! Corner the Princess here and kill her. It'll seem as if the Prince of Setra murdered her. Not that I would mind." Lina's eyes narrowed as she clenched her hands.  
  
"Xellos... you have exactly 5 minutes to explain just who SHE is... and three passed already..." said Lina with an extremely menacing tone.  
  
"Um... Lina... this is Misty... the sidekick to Xellos in this world." said Xellos.  
  
"Not just sidekick! I'm also his girlfriend!" declared Misty triumphantly. Her eyes dared Lina to beat that.  
  
"You're what?" asked Lina to Xellos.  
  
"No, not to me! To the other Xellos!" said Xellos as he tried to calm Lina down. It wasn't working very well. She had taken out an hourglass and was staring at him.  
  
"And Misty... this is a fellow demon hunter." he said, thinking up of a quick lie to tell her.  
  
"Oh... so.. now, I'm just a 'fellow demon hunter?'" asked Lina sarcastically. "I'll show you a demon hunter, you...." Lina started to say before Xellos put his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"And my soon to be wife." he said, hoping Lina wouldn't blow up and kill him and Misty and the castle and everything around them within a 15 mile radius. Lina tried to speak, but found that she had no words to say... so she blushed hotly. It was nice to have him holding her like that. Misty's eyes teared up and her lower lip trembled.  
  
"Xellos....kun...? Does that mean... you don't love me anymore? That you'll never call me your Sugar Bunny again?" she asked tearfully. At this, Lina lost hold of her temper and let it consume all its way. Which happened to be Xellos at the present moment.  
  
"XELLOS!!!!!!" she shouted before punting him out the window. "YOU IDIOT!" *****  
  
(47.38 minutes later and two more trips for Xellos via Lina Airways....)  
  
"So, I think I get it this time." said Misty. Lina sighed. "You and Xellos kun are from a different dimension."  
  
"I'm not your Xellos kun." said Xellos automatically. He had a blacker eye than before, and was holding an ice pack to his head. Lina sure could pack a punch....  
  
"OK... and you two are demon hunters sent to find a demon here." said Misty. Lina crossed her fingers. So far so good.  
  
"So, Lina and Xellos... are engaged and were looking for the demon. Lina as the Princess, Xellos as a rebel leader." Xellos nodded encouragingly.  
  
"And that is why you know magic. And you found the demon?" asked Misty.  
  
"Yes." said Lina. "And we killed it and banished it." She was sitting beside Xellos.  
  
"So, where's my Xellos?" asked Misty.  
  
"He'll probably be back in two days." said Xellos. OK, they were doing fine so far...  
  
"But I don't get it..." said Misty. "If Lina is really your fiancee, why doesn't she have an engagement ring?" Lina glared at Xellos. Xellos gulped. Some things never change.  
  
*****  
  
The next day passed without many explosions happening around the trip. Lina was forced to endure a very long trip back home. But that was OK. She spent the whole ride with Xellos. They just sat together and talked softly so that no one would know that Xellos was there also. She got home, explained matters to her parents in very simple words and with a very high decibel level. They had accepted, specially after seeing the gold she brought back with her. That night... while reading the Prophecy... "Once upon a time there was a very hot sorceress dude type of lady. She was really strong and powerful and had a fiery temper." read Xellos. Lina was sitting beside him. "Hm... it's written in a different style, that's for sure."  
  
"Ok, Ok, just get on with it." said Lina. She personally didn't like that style, even thought it was straightforward. She preferred a little more ornate... but well... Albuntra was... different, to say the least.  
  
"OK... let's see... here we are. And this really cool sorceress dude type of lady will be fire incarnate (let's call her Fire, just like her). And she'll be destined for great things, not just pleasing anyone that comes along and offers her gold. And she'll get a message from this other really hot lady who wears white and sometimes purple and sometimes, pink, and sometimes yellow but usually gold. And Fire, along with her sidekick will do many cool things. Her sidekick, Shadow, and her, Fire, will live happily ever after. But before this happens, Fire will have lunch and eat up a piece of a slice of cake. And then she will eat a whole slice of cake. And then, along with her sidekick, and a small cat, they'll eat another slice of cake. It's a chocolate cake. And the gold lady that wears many colors will bring a plate of steak. But before Fire and Shadow can eat it, they'll have to eat one more piece of cake. But Fire won't want to, and will call on her seven dwarfs to help her eat the cake. But along came two spiders who tried to steal the cake from Fire so that she wouldn't have her plate of steak. Fire got very mad and she and Shadow and her dwarfs killed the two spiders and they got to eat their plate of steak. Fire then will get mad at one of the dwarves and hit him on the head for not sharing. And Fire and Shadow will live happily ever after. And they will be very happy except that Fire will beat up Shadow for stealing part of her steak also. The End. May the Lord of Nightmares (the gold lady that wears other colors) bless this prophecy." Xellos finished reading it.  
  
"Interesting, wouldn't you say?" he asked. "Lot's of symbolism."  
  
"Um... yeah." said Lina.  
  
"What was he thinking of when he wrote it?" asked Xellos. Lina blushed.  
  
"Not telling." she said. She then firmly shut her mind to Xellos's probing thoughts as he tried to find out.  
  
"Come on Lina chan? Please?" asked Xellos. He was grinning as he tried to find a weakness in her mental armor. "After all, I got you a ring, didn't I?"  
  
Lina smiled as she looked at her ring. It was a delicate gold band with a ruby and amethyst staff and sword design. Xellos used her moment of distraction to 'break in.'  
  
"Xellos!" she shouted as he broke in and read her thoughts.  
  
"Really?" asked Xellos as he neared her, a sly look on his face. She blushed hotly once more and backed away slightly.  
  
"What are you planning to do, fruitcake?" she asked softly, knowing that her cheeks were once again flaming. "You know, some thoughts are meant to be private. And stop smiling at me like that..." She looked down under his gaze.  
  
"I just find it... how shall I put it?... very interesting." He sat behind her and pulled her up to him so that he could rest his chin on her shoulder. "I also find it... very fitting." he whispered in her ear. She tried to elbow him in the stomach but he caught her arms and put his arms around her, his hands covering her smaller ones, settling over her ring. She sighed and muttered "Fruitcake." before she rested and finally fell asleep in his embrace. And after a while, he did too, resting his head on her chin, leaning slightly against Lina's ruby tresses.  
  
The next day, Xellos went back to his camp and Lina stayed in her room. At lunchtime, they both summoned the spell that would take them back home. And that's were they appeared. Back in the real world, the one where they came from, in their own Astral Plane. Lina saluted the Lord of Nightmares who appeared before them.  
  
"Mission Accomplished." she said. Then both her and Xellos bowed, Lina holding her sword and Xellos his staff.  
  
"A job very well done." said the Lord of Nightmares. "I am glad to see the mission done so well and to see you two get along again. Now, go to your friends and fulfill your prophecy." She smiled at the ring that adorned Lina's left fourth finger. The two bowed once more and phased out from the Astral Plane. While traveling...  
  
"So, how are we supposed to kill two spiders?" asked Lina.  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" said 'Shadow'. Lina laughed and Xellos joined her, their happy laughter echoing eternally in the Astral Plane.  
  
Author's Notes Hi!!!!!! I got another chapter out! Aren't you all so proud of me? *Looks at the audience eagerly* ^^ Anyway. What do you think? You like it? Getting too silly? Getting too sappy? Not enough adventure? Comments and Criticisms are extremely welcome! Thank you all for your patience with me as I type this thing up. The story's drawing to an end and I hope you have been enjoying it. I'm planning a couple more. And a fun type of Epilogue which is bouncing around in my mind. Yeah, and hopefully, all the loose ends will be tied up in a cool braid at the end of the story. I love macramé. Not that you wanted to know that. ^^ Yeah, so... what do you think? An authoress like moi (I'm learning French! So far I can say 'I am on the floor.' It goes 'Je suis sur le plancher.' Like I'll need to say that to someone.... ^.^;;; ) needs tons and tons and trillions of encouragement cause school begins in August!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!! Quick tip to all of you. Don't take three AP courses and plan to tutor, take piano lessons and try out for Drama during your senior year. ^^ Yes, my secret is out... not that it was that much of a secret. I'll be a senior next year. And if you don't hear from me in a loooooooooooooooong time.... well, let's blame good ole senior-itis. Just kidding. I hate that stuff. It's no excuse for slacking off during your senior year. Don't do that. It's not correct. Finish your school year with a running leap, not with a wobble and a limp....^^ OK, that's my encouraging speech thingy for the chapter. I have done my civic duty to encourage all of you to do well in school. ^^ OK... I'm really tired now, so I'll sign off. Please review... and once more, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. Keep em coming! ^^ Comments and notes and cards of encouragement? Send them to hml_kimiko@hotmail.com ^^ Arigato! Have a great day and take care!  
  
Hotaru PS... Sorry for the long author's notes....jejeje...  
  
Quotes.....  
  
"I don't get mad, I get even." -I have no idea.  
  
"Procrastination is an extreme form of patience." -I have no idea.  
  
"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." -Unknown (at least... to me it is!)  
  
"The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist, the opportunity in every difficulty." - L.P. Jacks 


	19. Deceptive Dreams?

Slayers: To the End... By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer... Hi!!!!!!!!!! Um... oh yeah.. I was supposed to write something important here.... what was it??? Oh yeah... no wonder I forgot, it's too depressing. Oh, you wanted to know it? OK, if you insist... here goes! Slayers aint mine.  
  
Chapter 19 Deceptive Dreams?  
  
Lina woke up. She found herself doing that quite often these past few days. Today, she was glad to wake up. For more reasons than were known... She yawned and stretched and did all sorts of things normal people did in the mornings. You know, yawn, rub your eyes, put your pillow on your head, stare at the stupid Mazoku who was sitting beside the bed making faces at you, try to burrow under the covers...  
  
"Xellos!" she screamed as her semi asleep mind registered his presence. "What are you doing here!?" She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him in self defense. Then, she promptly sent a fireball in his direction and threw the covers on him and then stomped on him, the whole time shouting, "Stupid fruitcake, stupid fruitcake!" She was in her own home, by the way. She had perfected the usage of the teleporting thing and loved to teleport back to her own home and sleep in her own bed. She had noted, to her satisfaction, that many of the mages had left Seerin to help Amelia defend cities. That was good. Anyway...  
  
"Good morning, Lina chan!" said a muffled voice from beneath the covers. Lina sighed, shook her head and decided to fully wake up. So, she stepped forcefully on him as she went to the bathroom to freshen up.  
  
"Morning," she said.  
  
Xellos tunneled out of the covers and laughed. Lina was funny. She overreacted to everything. And she gave off such a delicious gamut of emotions, even if she didn't show all of them. One of them, was making him very perplexed. He'd have to figure it out later. He sat in front of her dresser and fixed his mussed up hair.  
  
Lina finally made it out of the bathroom, wearing her researching clothes. The white sleeveless coat, the red pants, and the yellow shirt one. And her hair was flowing loose behind her.  
  
"Morning, Xellos. You're hair is a mess." she said as she levitated her covers and arranged it neatly on her bed. It was good concentration practice, not to mention, an excuse to not have to actually make her bed.  
  
"No thanks to a certain someone." said Xellos as he ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
"Here, let me." said Lina. She stood behind him and opened a drawer and took out a comb. With that, she took his hair in her 10 hands and softly started to comb it, untangling a few hairs here and there, but mostly because she liked to brush hair and she wanted to see how his hair was. Xellos, for his part was having a blast. Well, think about it. A Mazoku usually didn't have to comb their hair, and well, no one before had ever offered to comb his hair for him. It was relaxing, and very comfortable and pleasing. He could tell she liked to play around with his hair. Maybe one day, he'd brush her hair and return the favor. After fifteen minutes though...  
  
"Ne, Lina chan..." said Xellos hesitantly.  
  
"Hmm?" asked Lina as she stared in the middle of nowhere, the comb softly and smoothly going through his thick purple hair.  
  
"I think you killed all the tangles by now." he said, teasingly. Startled, she look down and noticed that his hair was indeed, tangle less. She blushed and put the comb down.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't realize," she said softly.  
  
"Ne, Lina chan that's OK. Are you all right?" asked Xellos as he drew her down to make her sit on his lap. They had come back the day before, and Lina had gone to sleep. She had seemed fine and happy then. Now, she seemed sort of distant.  
  
"I'm fine." she said. "Just tired. A little..." She laughed sheepishly and blushed.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure." said Lina. Then she smiled at him. "Why? You worried?"  
  
"Nope." said Xellos. He hugged her tighter to him. She laughed and hugged him back, leaning her head against his recently brushed, soft hair. His fingers played with her hands, more specifically, toyed with her engagement ring. Lina smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. His hands tightened on hers as he kissed her back.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos and Lina phased into the palace at Seyruun.  
  
"Hi!" said Lina as she appeared.  
  
"Hello!" said Xellos as he appeared beside Lina. Sylphiel and Filia, who were training a few smaller magic users reacted. Sylphiel smiled and nodded at them, acting as if it were normal for people to appear and disappear the whole time. Filia screamed, her skirts swished and a huge iron mace appeared out of nowhere to connect with Xellos's face. Except that her timing was off, or maybe she wasn't used to two people phasing in at the same time, or maybe she was out of practice. Whatever the reason, the mace didn't hit Xellos. It hit Lina.  
  
"Ow, ow, ow..." said Lina as she held her head and swayed back and forth. Xellos steadied her a bit. "Filia.... what did I do this time?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Lina." said Filia, truly shaken, although her darker side snapped her fingers and vowed to have better aim next time. "Sylphiel! Come help Lina."  
  
"Good morning, you two!" said Sylphiel as she threw a healing spell at Lina.  
  
"Ne, Filia chan, you shouldn't go around hitting whoever appears out of nowhere, you know. Accidents can happen. Poor Lina chan, she's all banged up because of you!" said Xellos, as if berating a naughty little four year old. Filia got very red.  
  
"Xellos!!! It's all you fault!" she said. "If you hadn't taught Ms. Lina how to teleport in, she wouldn't have been the one to be hit by my mace!" With that, she yanked out her mace and promptly began to chase him. Xellos laughed at her and stayed just out of reach.  
  
"Oh dear," said Sylphiel. "I guess we'll have to cancel class for today. OK, everyone! You guys can go home now!" The students shrugged and ran out, not really wanting to get in the way of a mad Filia sensei.  
  
"So, how's everything so far?" asked Lina as she stood beside Sylphiel, both of them watching the other two's antics.  
  
"So far so good, Ms. Lina." said Sylphiel. "Amelia gave a speech yesterday! It was a very nice speech, on justice and love and duty."  
  
"Yes, I can see that." said Lina.  
  
"And now, everyone is having a week long fast in remembrance of our fallen comrades." said Sylphiel.  
  
"How come?" asked Lina.  
  
"To save food in case their is a shortage."  
  
"But what if the enemy attacks during the fast? Won't everyone be feeling weak?" asked Lina.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis has planned everything out! He has half the soldiers fasting, as well as half the population. Then, they will switch. That way, there is always someone on guard duty." explained Sylphiel. Lina nodded, all though she wasn't really there. Talking about food had brought back memories of last night...  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Lina smiled at all the delicious food in front of her. Her watching eyes caught something brown off to the table. It was going to be hard to get it, but she would. She saw many tall plates beside it, and people were in her way. So, she ducked and rolled and crawled over to where the huge chocolate cake was. It looked delicious. With each step, she got a little closer to this delicacy. She could see it had chocolate icing, and strawberries, her favorite fruit! And so, she kept on. Just as she was about to reach it, her cake vanished, and she found herself standing in a vast emptiness.  
  
"What happened?" she asked. "Where's my cake!" But there was no answer. Only silence answered her questions. There wasn't even an echo. Mad, she reached for her Chaos sword, only to find it broken and chipped. Astonished, she looked at her sword. Suddenly she whirled around as she felt a presence near her. Everybody else faded away.  
  
"Xellos! Gosh, you just scared me half to death!" said Lina, relief in her voice as she ran to him. But he didn't answer. He was just standing there, not doing much. Lina ran up to him and gasped. His eyes were wide open, his mouth opened in surprise. And he was made out of stone. At his feet, his Staff laid, broken in pieces, the ruby and amethyst shattered.  
  
"Xellos!" she cried. And she woke up. She sat straight up, her eyes wide open, her mouth gasping for breath.  
  
'It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a dream...' she thought to herself. 'Calm down, calm down...'  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"Lina? Lina? Lina chan, hello are you there?"  
  
Lina didn't respond, her eyes staring at some unknown point far, far away.  
  
"Ms. Lina? Are you all right?"  
  
That had been an awful dream. She thought that she had lost him.  
  
"Lina!" She was being shaken. "I didn't hit her that hard, did I? I'm sorry Lina, I didn't mean to hit you."  
  
She had trouble falling asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, surprised, set in stone. She had lost him, right there.  
  
Someone was holding her, trying to get her to wake up. She could feel something small fall down her cheeks.  
  
Her heart felt like the crystals on the floor, shattered, broken, beyond repair, missing, lost, lonely,... so many things at the same time.  
  
Someone brushed it away. Good, it was starting to tickle her. A soft voice was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear what it was saying.  
  
She was staring at the statue again. It looked so like him. It looked so realistic. She was afraid of what it meant. And his staff, broken, burnt, ragged, chipped, splintered... so many words, yet none came close to describing it.  
  
"Lina chan? Please, wake up? What's wrong?" A soft voice...  
  
The statue turned its head. She jumped back in surprise. It's eyes closed, as well as his mouth. He looked at her, still made from stone. "Xellos?"  
  
"Shush, Lina, I'm here..." That soft voice, trying to call her back. But not know, she had to find out what this all meant.  
  
"..." said the statue. Its mouth moved, but no words escaped. She wanted to ask it so many things. Why? What happened? Who?... but she herself couldn't say anything. His eyes finally opened, and jewel amethyst stared at her, the statue once more becoming immobile. Once more, silent.  
  
Someone was holding her. That was so nice of whoever it was. But she didn't want to come back yet. She had so many questions, so many things to know. She had to find out... what did the statue mean? The staff? Her sword? But her time was up. So, she came back to herself.  
  
She blinked her eyes. Her ruby gaze was no longer empty. She looked straight into Xellos's eyes. Real eyes, not cold, hard jewels. With a sigh of relief, she hugged him warmly. When they broke off the hug, he took hold of her hands.  
  
"I'm glad," she said softly. Xellos did not understand what had just happened. He looked into her eyes. They seemed normal now, her gaze on him, not off somewhere else.  
  
"Are you OK?" asked Xellos. He didn't let go of her.  
  
"Yeah, of course I'm fine. I am Lina Inverse, after all." she said cheekily. She kissed him softly on the lips. He answered her the same way, deepening the kiss. Soon, they broke apart and then Lina turned back to the others, even though they were still holding hands.  
  
"Sorry about that." she said. To Xellos, she smiled... [Later...] "I was lost in thought for a bit."  
  
"..." said Filia.  
  
[OK] thought Xellos. [Later. Remember, you owe me an explanation.]  
  
[No problem] Lina smiled.  
  
"....Lina...." said Filia. "I am afraid my eyes are lying to me. Did you just... um, uh... "  
  
"Did we what?" asked Xellos with a smile on his face. "Initiate lip lock, play tonsil hockey, exchange saliva...." Lina elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch, Lina chan! That hurt!"  
  
"Stupid fruitcake, stop teasing Filia." said Lina. "Yes, we just kissed. As to why, let's just say,... Sore wa himitsu desu." She grinned. Filia sighed. One fruitcake was enough. Having Lina adopt Xellos like attitudes was.... unnerving to say the least.  
  
"Oh, Ms. Lina! Are you going out with Mr. Xellos?" asked Sylphiel.  
  
"Um, I guess you could call it that..." said Lina. She laughed nervously and then smiled brightly at Xellos. He tightened his hold on her left hand, feeling the ring in her hand. [Right Xellos?]  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. [I guess you could call it that. Speaking of which, how about going out with me tonight after supper? We haven't had too many opportunities to date...]  
  
[Sounds great! I accept.] thought Lina. Her cheeks reddened slightly. Out loud... "Where are Amelia and Zelgadis?"  
  
"Amelia is in her office. Zelgadis is out with some people from Seerin." said Sylphiel. She was puzzled. Why so many secrets?  
  
"Oh, so,... Captain Stonewall strikes again, huh?" asked Lina. Sylphiel looked confused. Filia already did.  
  
They decided to visit Amelia first. Where Amelia was, Gourry would be there also.  
  
"Hello Amelia, Gourry!" said Lina as she phased into the room.  
  
"Good morning!" said Xellos.  
  
"Ms. Lina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Amelia. All of a sudden, a ball of white and pink flew from the desk and latched on to Lina. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you sooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!"  
  
"Um... you're welcome... what did I do?" asked Lina, with a puzzled look. She looked at Amelia, not quite sure what to do. Shake her off? Hug her back? Stand like a statue? Use a crowbar to pry her off?  
  
"Hi Lina! Hi Xellos!" said Gourry cheerfully from his place on the window sill.  
  
"Hello Gourry!" said Xellos.  
  
"You sent us so much help! When Seyruun and the world at large was in danger and needed help, even though you were in a different dimension, you sent aid. It was because of you, Ms. Lina, that we have been able to make it thus far into this war between races. Oh Ms. Lina, no matter how much you deny it, you are a true warrior of justice. In you, we all fin hope and truth, love and joy, Ms. Lina. Everything you do points to the star of justice, the one that will lead and guide us forever more, until the end of times. So be it." said Amelia. By the end of her speech, she was on top of her desk, posing triumphantly, one foot on a stack of letters.  
  
Xellos excused himself and went out to throw up. Even though he wasn't a real Mazoku, he still took on a form of one and he still had a few mannerisms of one. Besides, old habits die hard, and well, Lina looked a bit queasy also.  
  
"Um.. Amelia... you're standing on your letters." said Lina hesitantly. Amelia looked down, surprised.  
  
"Aaaaah!" she screamed as the tower of letters fell down. Her one foot, finding no support, fell down, dragging the rest of the body along for the ride. Lina sweat dropped. Xellos appeared once more. Gourry poked Amelia.  
  
"Ne, Amelia, are you OK?" he asked.  
  
And the door burst open. Lina and Xellos turned around, their sword and staff in ready position in their hands. Gourry also spun around, bringing out his sword.  
  
"Why, if it isn't my rival, Lina Inverse." And Lina Inverse, Dramatta, Bandit Killer, Chaos Knight, and all around Sorceress Extraordinaire, looked up into dark cerulean eyes, and knew real fear. OK, it's a bit exaggerated, but it makes a nice effect, doesn't it?  
  
"Naga!" exclaimed Lina.  
  
"OHOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Naga. "How do you do, Lina?"  
  
But it wasn't at the fact that she saw Naga that she fainted. Nor the fact that Naga's laugh was just as loud and annoying and ear splitting as before. No, it was because Naga, the famed White Serpent, the one who dressed like it was summer the whole time, was dressed differently, to say the least.  
  
From head to toes, here we go! A silver tiara with a sapphire design graced her long, thick, glossy black hair. And her hair was put in a long French braid, threaded with silver strings. On her ears, she wore a pair of silver earrings with blue stones in the shape of skulls. (Although, from a distance, they looked like normal spheres.) She wore a long regal looking gown in dark blues and white. The dress reached from top to bottom, not to her knees or mid thigh. And she had a small porcelain teacup in her hand. The only indecent part was that the front of the dress was a bit low, showing off a bit of skin and cleavage, and that was about it. Yeah, that's why she fainted. Don't laugh! You would have done so also!  
  
*****  
  
Madabar frowned at the floor. Why at the floor? Cause she was kneeling before Zelas Metalium, Beastmaster and Mistress of Torture and all that junk. And she was mad at her. (Take that both ways...) Madabar was mad at Zelas because Zelas was a general pain and an annoying boss to serve who could kill you if she felt like it. Zelas was mad at Madabar because she had failed in destroying the scroll before Lina and Xellos got it.  
  
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Zelas. She took a deep draught of Sephyrian wine from her wine glass. It was pretty good.  
  
"I am sorry, Beastmaster." said Madabar. "I was counting on Lina not being able to cast magic. And I was counting on Xellos having to deal with the spies and the girl." Zelas sighed.  
  
"Madabar, how many times must I tell you? Expect everything. This is one of the reasons that Xellos always bested you. He foresaw almost everything. Oh, and he did things himself, instead of leaving it to subordinates." Madabar seethed. It was always Xellos this, Xellos that. Xellos, Xellos, Xellos, that stupid, egotistical, bratty, stuck up, snotty nosed,... but truly handsome Xellos. But hopefully, Zelas wouldn't realize.  
  
"I am sorry. I will do better next time." said Madabar.  
  
"Next time, next time, next time...." Zelas sighed. "That's what you all say. I'll do better next time! That is no excuse. Always count on the fact that you might not have a next time." Silence. "Well, how is that useless brother of mine doing?"  
  
"He was supposed to make sure Misty kept Xellos busy." said Madabar. Zelas sighed.  
  
"A tip for you. Never, NEVER, give that useless brother of mine something important to do. He'll probably goof it up. Just like he goofed up when you guys kidnapped my Priest and General. Just like he did when he tried to attack Seerin. Have him do administrative work or something. Actually.... have him come to me. I have a new idea." She turned around. "Oh, and Madabar?"  
  
"Yes, Beastmaster?" asked Madabar, making a face at the floor.  
  
"Wipe that sneer off your face and stop sticking your tongue at the floor. It's not fit of such a high ranked Mazoku as you. Unless, of course, you want me to rip it out of your mouth." Madabar immediately put her tongue back in. When Zelas left, Madabar stood up and dusted off her clothes. Who did she think she was? Just a normal lowly Mazoku!?!? No!!!! She was Madabar! One of the strongest Mazokus around. And she would make sure Zelas understood what she was saying! Oh, and now, to send that idiot of her brother back to her. It was a relief, truth be told. He was a pain in the you-know-where. With that, she phased out.  
  
Zelas frowned intelligently. Her 'mother' may have won the battle, but she would win the war. Now, to put the next part in place...  
  
*****  
  
Lina was dreaming again. She was starting to get annoyed at these dreams. All they gave her were three million headaches and a bunch of unanswered questions. Well, here she was. Might as well make the best of it.  
  
She was in the middle of a brown battlefield. Well, she was also on top of a high cliff. With a start, she realized that she wasn't in the field, but actually watching her dream. How..... weird. With a start, she realized that there was someone else beside her. The person was wearing a cloak three sizes too big, causing it to hang of the said person. She couldn't tell whether it was a guy or a girl. Before she could comment on it, her dream started. She watched herself fight and decide to take notes. There she was, all alone in the field, facing that awful shadow with turquoise eyes. She had seen this dream so many times, she almost yawned. Her friends always appeared in a bit, one off to the left, one to the right, and the rest behind her. She looked at the field and frowned. There was something wrong.  
  
"Wait a minute! Halt!" she shouted, but the dream kept on. No one had appeared yet. That hit was meant for the person to the right, but it hit her instead. The dream Lina winced and got up, ready to fight. "That's not how it goes! Someone is supposed to be there!"  
  
There was no answer. Dream Lina had fallen down, and this was where her helping shadow was supposed to come. But no shadow was there. Only a bush. Nothing. No Xellos appeared. Dream Lina screamed in pain as the blast hit her. The real Lina tried to fly down there and help out, kick those blue eyes out of her dreams. But she ran into an invisible wall.  
  
"Get this thing out of here!" she shouted, once again, at nobody.  
  
She turned and faced the figure in the black cloak. She grabbed its shoulder and turned it to face her. Behind her, Dream Lina had gotten up, trying to fight. She put her hands together and started the chant for the Giga Slave.  
  
"What is going on here?" asked Lina as she turned the figure. A grinning skeleton faced her, dressed in the robes. The bones fell and turned to dust. Of the figure, there was left a bunch of old tattered cloth, with a note on it.  
  
"'Even dreams can be broken.'" read Lina Inverse. "'Good night, Sleep Tight, Don't let the bedbugs bite!'" Lina turned around at the shout of "GIGA SLAVE!" And her whole world turned to water and she felt as if she would drown.  
  
*****  
  
Lina woke up from her dream. She really woke up. As in sit straight up in bed, eyes wide opened, catching her breath. That type of waking up. As if someone had thrown a cold bucket of water at her. Wait a minute... She eyed her dripping clothes.... Her eyes narrowed as she looked around her and caught the innocently smiling ex-Mazoku beside her bed, hands conveniently behind him.  
  
"Oh. Good morning Lina chan!" said the Mazoku happily. He smiled at her.  
  
"Good morning, Xellos kun." said Lina, sweet sarcasm very evident in her words. "May I ask why I'm dripping wet?" She pointed to a piece of ice on her covers.  
  
"Oh, you are! I hadn't noticed that! Now, how could this have happened?" asked Xellos thoughtfully.  
  
"Yes, HOW?" asked Lina dangerously. She lifted her hand and pointed at Xellos. An empty, wet pail surfaced from behind him and floated in between them. "Oh, Look what I found!?"  
  
"Oh... it looks like an empty, wet pail, Lina chan. I wonder. How did it get here?" asked Xellos, trying to look clue less. His huge smile was giving him away though...  
  
*****  
  
"FIREBALL!"  
  
Amelia and Naga looked up.  
  
"I guess Ms. Lina is feeling better." said Amelia. They were in her room. Naga was watching Amelia pack.  
  
"Yes, I guess so." said Naga. She took a deep sip from her teacup. She frowned at it and shook it upside down. "There's no more. Amelia, you have to get bigger teacups." Amelia sighed and passed her a bottle. Naga smiled. "Thank you, Amelia!" She took the bottle and emptied it into her teacup. "Hic!"  
  
*****  
  
"Ne, Lina chan... will you tell me now what happened?" asked Xellos. He had made it back into her room. Lina had changed and was combing her wet locks while sitting on her bed. Xellos sat behind her and took the brush from her hands. At her look, he just smiled. "Time to repay a favor, Lina chan." He began to brush back her hair, taking all the tangles out softly. Lina sighed contentedly and leaned back slightly.  
  
"What do you want to know?" asked Lina, her eyes closed. His fingers were very gentle with her hair. Was this how her fingers felt to him when she was combing his hair?  
  
"Why did you zone out on us?" he asked. Now that all the tangles were worked out, he concentrated on brushing it back so that it looked neat.  
  
"I was thinking about a dream." said Lina. "You know, Xellos. This feels great. I'm going to force you to brush my hair everyday."  
  
"Maybe." said Xellos. He ran his fingers through her hair. "What was the dream about?"  
  
"You." said Lina. The brushing stopped. "Well, not really you..." The brushing continued once more.  
  
"What about me?" asked Xellos. He moved one of her hair things from the dresser to where he was so that he could do something with her hair.  
  
So Lina told him. She said it pretty calmly also, thinking about what she had dreamt and the possible meaning. Then she told him about the dream that she just had, explaining her other dreams from loooooong time ago, not knowing that Xellos knew about them because he had read her diary. When she finished, Xellos had finished playing with her hair and had it braided.  
  
"Thanks Xellos." said Lina as she turned around. "And Xellos...?"  
  
"Hm?" asked Xellos. He put the brush down. Lina looked into his eyes.  
  
"Promise me you'll be careful." she said softly. "I don't want anything to happen to you." She blushed slightly. Xellos smiled at her, his eyes opened, his features seeming to soften slightly.  
  
"Of course I will, my Lina chan." he whispered softly. He hugged her to him and smiled when she hugged him back. Lina happened to look into the mirror behind Xellos. Her eyes widened. Then they narrowed. Xellos felt a fluctuation in Lina's... um... feelings.  
  
"Xellos..." she said sweetly, still hugging him.  
  
"Yes, dearest Lina chan?" hoping that he'd defuse the time bomb Lina had become.  
  
"What did you do to my HAIR??????!!!!!!!" asked Lina in a very dangerous tone of voice.  
  
"Um... jaja... I think it looks nice." said Xellos sheepishly. "Besides, I never said I was good with hair styles, you know."  
  
"No kidding..." growled Lina. "FLARE ARROW!"  
  
Xellos vanished. Lina sighed and smiled to herself. Then she laughed a little. Xellos... that fruitcake... he'd never change. She then turned to the hard task of undoing the tight braids that Xellos stuck into her hair that were pointing at odd angles.  
  
*****  
  
Amelia and Naga looked up as a knock was heard.  
  
"Who is it?" asked Naga trying to sound haughty. She succeeded.  
  
"Lina." said the person behind the door.  
  
"Come in, Ms. Lina!" shouted Amelia. Lina came in and smiled. Then she eyed Naga, and her eyes widened again at the sight. "Ms. Lina! Please don't faint again!" Lina took deep calming breaths.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be fine..." said Lina. Then she peered at Naga. "Naga? Is that really you?"  
  
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!" laughed Naga as she politely laughed behind her mouth.  
  
"It IS you." said Lina. No one else could have such a laugh. "What are you doing all dressed up and looking so modest?"  
  
"Ohohoho!" laughed Naga. "Don't you know that I, Naga the White Serpent, can adapt into any situation forced onto me!?"  
  
"Forced on you?" asked Lina. Then she looked at Amelia and then at Naga. Then she looked at Amelia and then at Naga. Same blue eyes. Same black hair. Same well endowed body. *grumble, grumble*  
  
"You two are sisters!!!" said Lina.  
  
"Yeah, you didn't know that, Ms. Lina?" asked Amelia. "She is my long lost sister! Thank you for inviting her to your swearing in as Chaos Knight, Ms. Lina. It was then that I saw her!"  
  
"Oh." said Lina.  
  
"She's Gracia for now though, Ms. Lina." continued Amelia.  
  
"What's it with the clothes?" asked Lina.  
  
"As a princess of Seyruun, I must dress accordingly. Princesses are demure maidens, worthy of the population's loyalty and blind adoration that I deserve." said Naga seriously, almost not seeming like another person.  
  
"What did you do to bribe her to wear that much one?" asked Lina to Amelia. Naga glared at her.  
  
"Well...." started Amelia.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Naga woke up with a splitting headache.  
  
"Owowowowow." she mumbled to herself. "I have a splitting headache." ^^  
  
"Awake, sister?" asked a voice. Naga sat up from her bed, rubbed her eyes and blinked owlishly at whoever was there. She smiled at her sister.  
  
"How do you do, Amelia dear?" asked Naga.  
  
"I am fine, Gracia. It's good to see you again." said Amelia with a smile. She was a girl with a mission, and nothing would deter her from it. Naga frowned slightly.  
  
"My name is Naga, not Gracia." she said sternly. "She died with mother."  
  
"I'm sorry, Naga." said Amelia. She sat down beside her. "But we need Gracia back, Naga."  
  
"Why?" asked Naga. Amelia gave her a rough run down. There was a war. Amelia needed to travel to gain support. The people needed a figure head. Enter Naga. Inspire hope in people. All that good stuff.  
  
"So that's the reason." said Amelia. "Please help us?"  
  
"No." said Naga. She stood up. "Now, I shall be leaving." Amelia's eyes widened.  
  
"OK." said Amelia. She looked sad. "I'll tell them your decision."  
  
Naga looked after Amelia left. Too bad for them. She didn't want to play politics. Besides, as Princess, she probably wouldn't be allowed to drink...  
  
*****  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis!" wailed Amelia.  
  
"Huh?" asked Zelgadis as he turned around. He was in his room, cleaning his sword.  
  
"Oh, it's awful!" said Amelia. "She doesn't want to become Princess. What shall we do, Mr. Zelgadis?" She struck a pose. Zel sweat dropped.  
  
"So, she said she didn't want to?" asked Zel.  
  
"No." sniffled Amelia. "What are we to do?"  
  
"I have an idea." said Zel. "I was expecting this to happen."  
  
*****  
  
Naga looked crossly at the people across the bars. Her sister was hiding behind the man, looking at her tearfully.  
  
"Get me out of here!" she said. She really didn't want to be behind bars at the present moment.  
  
"No." said Zelgadis.  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis, are you sure?" asked Amelia.  
  
"Trust me." said Zel.  
  
"Amelia! Tell that upstart that I can get out!" said Naga angrily.  
  
"Who are you to order her?" asked Zelgadis, his voice cool and controlled. "You aren't a Princess or anything, are you?" Naga was about to say she was, but then understood their plan.  
  
"Oh no, you aren't going to catch me like that," said Naga slyly. "I'm not going to be your little Princess, Amelia and Zelgadis."  
  
Amelia looked sadder.  
  
"That is up to you." said Zel. "Come Amelia." Amelia looked torn between staying and leaving. Finally she nodded and left with Zelgadis. Naga smiled easily. So they thought they could just keep her in like this? Oh well, she was sure Amelia wouldn't let her sister starve. Food was on the way, and best of all, she didn't have to pay for it!  
  
*****  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis are you sure this will work?" asked Amelia. It was supper and they were having supper together. Not as a date, mind you. Filia and Sylphiel were also there, along with Gourry.  
  
"It should begin about.... now." said Zel. A guard rushed in and bowed to Amelia.  
  
"Princess Amelia," he said. He took a deep breath. "The prisoner, Naga, is making a fuss downstairs."  
  
"Come, Amelia." said Zelgadis. "We must see what is causing her to act like this." He took his goblet and motioned for Amelia to take hers. Amelia nodded and thanked the guard. He left. They left.  
  
INTERRUPTION/ END OF FLASHBACK  
  
"I get it!" said Lina. "You guys bribed Naga to stay by offering her unlimited access to your wine cellars. Right? Because as a prisoner, she doesn't get alcoholic beverages, right?"  
  
"Ne Lina, you don't have to rub it in." said Naga crossly. "Besides, Amelia says I make a pretty good figure head." She crossed her arms and looked annoyed while attempting to look regal while sitting down.  
  
"Wow, Ms. Lina, how did you know? You're so smart!!!" squealed Amelia.  
  
"Of course! I am, after all, the great Lina Inverse!" said Lina. "Well, I deduced it because you said Zel told you to take your goblet with you. You put wine in goblets.... and the number one hint.... Zel NEVER drinks anything but coffee! And he drinks it in a mug, not a goblet."  
  
"Well, no matter." said Naga.  
  
"So, how's life as a Princess?" asked Lina.  
  
"Very entertaining." said Naga. "I decided to help out if they would let me drink while in public. So, they gave me this silly, tiny, minute, petite teacup!" She waved the teacup around to make her point. Fortunately, Naga had slurped the drink up before waving it around.  
  
"I have to carry around a silly bottle of wine hidden in my cape so that I can refill my teacup!" said Naga crossly. "But it's not that bad."  
  
"Gracia, you do a wonderful job!" said Amelia enthusiastically. "We concocted a story that Naga came when she heard that Seyruun was in danger, and that she was here to defend her kingdom. Oh, it was awe-inspiring."  
  
Lina imagined Naga on top of a balcony, with many people below her, shouting about love and justice and all that stuff. And then ending with her ear splitting laugh. She shuddered. Oh well, it was nice to see everybody doing so well here. She looked at them, and then thought critically. She smiled to herself and then talked with them about trivial things. Now was the time to enjoy life and have fun and goof around. The time to act solemn and serious would come soon enough.  
  
Author's Notes Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are ya? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a blast writing this one! Anyway, thank you everyone for your really encouraging reviews! You guys are great! Thank you so much! Anyone guess the meaning of my prophecy yet? Hint, it's a slight parody....^^ More will be revealed in the next chapter, which should be out by next week (or sooner) cause I have more than half written out already! ^^ So yeah, I hope you'll enjoy the story! Read and Review, please! Comments and Criticisms are extremely welcome, so if you think something was stupid, send away,... although I hope you didn't...^^ Take care everyone! Until next time!  
  
Hotaru  
  
Every day I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive. -anon.  
  
The hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. -Ralph Waldo Emerson  
  
If you have built castles in the air, Your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. -Henry David Thoreau 


	20. Pieces falling in place... The Domino Ef...

Slayers: To The End  
  
Written, Produced, Directed, Imagined, Created, and Concocted by the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek! (That's me, Hotaru, if case you didn't know.... ^^ )  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. Don't sue me, I'm trying to save money for college and then take over the world! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, no, not really.... but it's something along those lines... ^^  
  
Chapter 20 Pieces falling in place... The Domino Effect! (And no, it doesn't have anything to do with Communism...^^) In which one of our heroes wakes up to his power, and another reads a fairy tale.  
  
Somewhere out there....  
  
"Keep an eye on what is happening," said a male voice.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not stupid." said a female voice.  
  
"You know, you're supposed to talk to me with a little more respect." said the male voice, petulantly.  
  
"So?" asked the female voice. "I get enough of that from the people I have to work with. Speaking of which..."  
  
"Yes, yes, I know..." said the male voice with a sigh. "I'll fill in for you."  
  
"Thanks. I knew you'd say that." said the female voice, triumph in her voice.  
  
"What else am I supposed to do?" asked the voice. "If I don't fill in for you, you won't go out and check on the others."  
  
"Hey, I'm not a god like you, you know." said the female voice. "I have a job to do, bills to pay and things to do. Now hurry up, table 4 wants to order. Besides, I know you like to play waiter." She smiled. He smiled. They had an understanding among the two. And with that, Luna Inverse, who was usually a waitress, but was now the Knight of Ceipheed, went out of the cafe.  
  
*****  
  
Supper came and passed. Lina ate, Xellos ate, they talked, and talked and talked....  
  
"So, Ms. Lina... how was your mission?" asked Filia. They had finished, and were in a parlor, drinking tea or hot coffee/chocolate or plain water or nothing at all.  
  
"Oh, it was a piece of cake." said Lina. "Nothing the great Lina Inverse can't handle!"  
  
"Ne, Lina... I remember someone asking for my help..." said Xellos with a cute pout on his face.  
  
"You're imagining things." said Lina. "I don't ask for help. I force it out of people." She smiled. Seeing Xellos's face, she giggled. "OK, so Xellos helped me a bit."  
  
"Really? What did you have to do?" asked Sylphiel. "It sounds so fun and interesting!"  
  
"Yeah, it was." said Lina. She enjoyed being the center of attention. "First of all, I was a Princess!"  
  
"You, a Princess??!" asked Naga. "That's a laugh." She burst out laughing. Everyone winced and plugged their ears.  
  
"What's wrong with me being a Princess?" fumed Lina.  
  
"And I was a rebel leader, sent to kill the naughty Princess!" said Xellos.  
  
"Oh..." said Gourry. "And did you?"  
  
"No, jellyfish brains!" said Lina. She threw a pillow at his head. "I'm the Princess and he didn't kill me!"  
  
"But you aren't a Princess, Lina." said Gourry, not understanding what was going on. Lina sighed and continued with the story. Sylphiel explained a few things to Lina and he nodded as he understood a little.  
  
"Turns out that the Princess was a spoiled brat..." said Lina.  
  
"Then that's good, right Lina? After all, it's an easy part for you to play..." said Gourry. Xellos held Lina back while she tried to make his eyes pop out by squeezing his neck. After everything was settled...  
  
"And she was in love with a commoner who was a beginning sage, chosen by L-sama, named Albuntra." said Lina. "So, I went to him and we wrote out all the scrolls, although he wrote the one we were looking for."  
  
"How come?" asked Amelia, quite interested. Such interesting things never happened to her. How she would have loved to have the opportunity to spread her messages of love, peace, joy and justice to another world or another time....  
  
"Um..." said Lina.  
  
"She was going to another kingdom to get married!" said Xellos. Silence.  
  
"Lina, did you marry someone in the other place?" asked Gourry.  
  
"No!" said Lina. "Lina Inverse does NOT just marry anyone who comes along with a ton of money...."  
  
"But, didn't you say that you wanted to marry a prince?" asked Gourry. "There was your perfect chance! Or did he not like you?"  
  
"Idiot! I didn't like him!" said Lina. She threw a slipper at him that had appeared in her hand. Seeing that Lina was going to be some time working her anger out, he decided to continue.  
  
"Meanwhile, I was a leader of a bunch of wannabe rebels, half of whom were thrown out of their house because their mothers said they snored too much." said Xellos. "I went to the palace to try to kill the Princess and found Lina instead. So we planned and when I went back to get her and the scroll, she was gone. So, I looked for her. Now, my sidekick..."  
  
"Yes, your sidekick!" said Lina, who had decided that Gourry looked dead enough. "What was happening between you and her!"  
  
"Nothing, Lina chan!" said Xellos. "I promise! I didn't even encourage Misty-san!"  
  
"Oh, so now it's Misty san, huh????" asked Lina, her fangs appearing. "Not just sidekick, like I was... right????" Xellos held his hands up, trying to appease her.  
  
"Now, now, Lina, don't get so uptight." said Xellos, a sweat drop appearing on his head.  
  
"Why is Lina so angry?" asked Gourry to Amelia, who was sitting beside him.  
  
"She's always angry, Gourry." said Amelia softly, so that Lina didn't turn her infamous wrath on her.  
  
"But she's more uptight than usual!" said Gourry. He thought for a while. Suddenly he brightened. "I know!" The room seemed to stop.  
  
"What do you know, jellyfish brain?" asked Lina suspiciously, still holding Xellos by the collar.  
  
"It's that time of the month again, right?" asked Gourry. Everyone but Lina and the one with yogurt for brains winced. "I'm sure! You always blasted me for everything when it was your time of the month! Yeah, just like you are hitting me and Xellos!" Everyone tried to get out of the way, very quickly. Even Xellos teleported to the other side of the room in case Lina thought he would make a nice piece of 'something to throw'.  
  
"Gourry..." she said softly.  
  
"Yeah, Lina?" asked Gourry, not realizing the danger he was in. He did notice that everyone had moved, leaving him alone. Xellos was probably showing them a new trick.  
  
"YOU JELLYFISH FOR BRAINS!!!!!!!!!!" she shouted. She then promptly fireballed him in the face, followed by a freeze arrow, proving that she still had her magic powers. Gourry went flying and everyone else sighed. Some things just didn't change, did they?  
  
**^o^**  
  
Elsewhere...  
  
Zel sighed. It was night, he wanted to go to bed, he really wanted to rest... but no,... he had a bunch of amateurs to look out after. OK, he really cared for them, but better not let them know that. Today had been quite exciting truth be told. Many things had happened today. He looked at his new and improved sword that he got today. Was this how Lina and Xellos felt?... They had spotted a Dragon and a Mazoku fighting over a city. Immediately, he had sent half of his troops inside to help any innocent bystanders. The other half, along with himself set guard outside the city. Any debris, fire, or missed attacks were promptly thrown back at them. His people inside the city had put all the civilians in shelters and those where sheltered with magic barriers. During a lull in the battle, Zel had flown up to them and stood in between them... Zel thought back to it....  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"If you want to fight, I advise you to go elsewhere were there are no civilians or bystanders to get hurt." said Zelgadis, his eyes stern.  
  
"Get out of the way, silly human." said the Mazoku.  
  
"We have a fight to finish." said the Dragon. "I will try to not cause more damage than necessary, but you must understand humans are easily hurt."  
  
"That's not the point." said Zel. "Take your fight elsewhere. Go to the Astral Plane for all I care! But, you will not fight here."  
  
"You and what army?" asked the Mazoku with a sneer.  
  
"I advise you and your friends to evacuate the people before they get hurt." said the dragon. "We will continue to fight. The Mazoku must be stopped."  
  
"The Mazoku must be stopped. What a bully." said the Mazoku in a sneering voice. "You were the one who commenced the attack."  
  
"It is the Dragon Elder's wish and he is all knowing." said the Dragon. "Now, get out, human, lest you wish to be injured also." With a flick of his tail he hit Zelgadis as one would swat a fly with his tail. Zel stopped himself from crashing. How in the world was he supposed to stop them?????? Gosh, if only Lina or Xellos were here, someone who actually had power to stop them... but the best he could do was to protect the city. But it would be so much better if he could get them to fight elsewhere or stop fighting...  
  
'Granted.' said a voice in his mind. He spun around. Nobody was there.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked. A 8 year old girl with blond hair appeared before him. She had a lemon sucker in her mouth and a yellow balloon tied to her wrist.  
  
"I'm L-shama..." said the girl around her sucker.  
  
"Oh." said Zel. Lina had mentioned that L-sama took on different forms.  
  
"Are they fighting?" she asked. She had taken her sucker out.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And you want them to stop?" asked the girl. "Why?"  
  
"Because if they don't, they will end up destroying the city. My people won't be able to block everything." said Zel.  
  
"Oh." said the girl. She sucked her sucker. "You can stop them if you want. I can help you."  
  
"Wait, you are the Lord of Nightmares, right?" asked Zelgadis, not quite sure what to say.  
  
"Of course I am!" she said. "Now listen." There was a blast of light and a myriad of explosions occurred. Zel heard a voice inside him.  
  
'I am the Lord of Nightmares, the Mother of All, the One who holds the balances... And I command you to awake! Join your rightful place as one of the Seven who were formed to aid the world during this time of Crisis. I command you to awake, Sleepy!" Zel felt something snap within him as he suddenly felt a previously severed link heal and work once more. He opened his eyes, which were shining with inner light. And with a smile, he cast a spherical shield around the Dragon and the Mazoku. He didn't notice his changed uniform. But he did notice their look of fear.  
  
"Dragon and Mazoku." he said as he floated up to them. "I will repeat to you once more. Take your fight elsewhere."  
  
"Whose side are you on?" asked the Dragon as he struggled to free himself. "If you are on the side of righteousness and truth, let me go."  
  
"I am on neither." said Zelgadis. "I am on the side of Chaos. Now go away, I'm sleepy!" And with that, he closed the sphere and hurled it into the Astral Plane. Had he seen the Dragon's and the Mazoku's eyes, he would have laughed at their look of amazement and astonishment.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Yeah, he had woken up and his students told him that he had just blasted the Dragon and Mazoku into the Astral Plane. He could feel a small link between him and L-sama, but it was small. But really, why in the world did he have to be called Sleepy??? Of all the embarrassing things to be named.... But what was he supposed to do now??? He was one of the Seven, who were the other Six??? He would have thought about it a bit more, but true to his namesake, he was getting sleepy. So, he yawned fixed his bed even though his students had fixed it for him. He shook out the sticks and bugs and dirt and then went to sleep. To not spoil the student's hard work, he yelled.  
  
"Stupid sticks! Who put them in? Aaagh!" He could here a few stifle their laughs. He smiled too and was soon fast asleep.  
  
*****  
  
Later that night... in a different place...  
  
Lina grumbled to herself. But then she smiled. Gourry would never change, would he? That was good. She was glad. It was like an anchor in a majorly turbulent storm. She looked out. She wondered, had Xellos decided to cancel? Or was it too late, or... Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around.  
  
"Hi Lina chan! What were you thinking about?" asked Xellos with a grin on his face.  
  
"Oh, Xellos. I didn't notice you..." she said.  
  
"I can tell. I tapped your shoulder three times before you noticed." said Xellos.  
  
"Um... jeje...." said Lina. "So, are we going out?" She hoped she could change the topic of discussion.  
  
"Of course Lina chan! I wouldn't ditch you!" said Xellos. "You weren't thinking that, were you?"  
  
"Um... of course not!" she said. "Where are we going?"  
  
"It's a surprise, Lina chan!" he said. "Close your eyes!" Lina sighed and smiled to herself, doing what he asked her to do. She felt him take her hand and the air shimmer around them.  
  
"Can I open them now?" asked Lina.  
  
"Yeah." said Xellos. Lina's eyes opened slowly, her red pupils taking in everything around her.  
  
"Where are we?" she asked.  
  
"We're in Seyruun, two hundred and fifty eight years, 24 days in the past. Today is they day they celebrated the founding of Seyruun, and it was celebrated by a huge feast, dancing and many shows and contests!" said Xellos.  
  
"Wow..." she said.  
  
"I thought you might enjoy it." said Xellos.  
  
"Enjoy it? Of course!" she said.  
  
"One more thing," said Xellos, dragging her to a dark alleyway. "There is a catch to all of this, Lina chan." He smiled at her. Lina's heart beat faster.  
  
"What?" she asked, hoping her voice wasn't shaking. She mentally told herself to calm down. Xellos wasn't the type to, to... to... yeah... that... yeah, Xellos wasn't like that... was he?  
  
"Ne, Lina chan." he said. "No need to be so shy. It'll be over in a minute."  
  
"What?" asked Lina. What had he meant by 'over in a minute'? Surely he didn't mean that she was just...  
  
Xellos leaned in close to her. She backed up against a wall. She could see his violet eyes. She gulped.  
  
Xellos smiled, waved his staff (which had appeared out of nowhere), and there was a blinding light that only they could see. No use alerting others out on the street that something was happening here, was there?  
  
Lina closed her eyes and then slowly opened them. She saw that she was wearing... different clothes.  
  
"Xellos, what are these?" she asked, very relieved and berating herself for being so stupid.  
  
"Why Lina, we can't go out like how we were dressed. We have to fit in too, you know!" Yes, they were wearing old fashioned clothes from about two hundred years ago. "What were you thinking?" He smiled. Lina blushed.  
  
"Um, let's go! Food, here we come!" she said. She grabbed his hand and hauled him out of the alleyway.  
  
**^.^**  
  
They were eating at this "All-you-can-eat-for-half-a-silver-piece." place. Things cost less back then. It was very nice. It was an indoor and outdoor cafe. They were outdoors, watching plays and skits that the actors were putting on.  
  
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," said the announcer. "We will now present to you a play that our young'uns have prepared especially for tonight! Let's give them a big hand as they act out... "Fire Red and the Seven Dwarfs, Written by Albuntra the Sage."  
  
Lina and Xellos's ears perked up.  
  
"Albuntra?" asked Lina, a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"Did not the scroll mention..." started Xellos.  
  
"Seven dwarves?" asked Lina. "But,... why?"  
  
"I wonder, did he write this before or after the prophecy?" asked Xellos. "Did he even base this on the prophecy?"  
  
"Shush... listen to the story." said Lina. And they did. Lina listened. What did this have to do with the prophecy? Had Albuntra written this after or before? It was an amusing story for little kids. Now, what did it have to do with Xellos and her?  
  
**(~.^)**  
  
Lina finally made it home that night. She kissed him good bye on the cheek and he smiled at her and left. She sighed, waltzed a little around the room and then changed into her PJs. After brushing her teeth and washing, she fell on her bed and waited for sleep to take her. Sleep didn't come. She tossed and turned and punched her pillow and rumpled her covers and put her hair so that it wouldn't bother her and many other things, but she just couldn't fall asleep. And she knew why. It was the stupid prophecy and the play they had seen that night. It hadn't come as a surprise that the seven dwarfs and Fire Red were trying to kill a pair of insects that interrupted their picnic. She stood up and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, put on a coat, grabbed a notebook, a pencil, and her reading glasses, heading towards the library, even though it was technically early in the morning the next day.  
  
She found a secluded area in the library. Well, they were all semi secluded, since it was night, and who in their right minds would be in the library at night digging up information on some silly, old prophecy and a children's tale? She then teleported to the kitchen and made herself a snack, and took it to her table in the library. She took her glasses out, and put them on. With a practiced twist of her wrist, she sent books spiraling out of their shelves and floating around her. She selected one and began to thumb through it, jotting down notes every once in a while. Her snack was left untouched as she read the books and wrote some more. The hours passed. Behind her, the moon continued on its course, as did the stars and clouds. But all this was lost on Lina as she silently read to herself many little bits of information on what she was looking up.  
  
*****  
  
Morning. The time when your side of the planet is getting some sunlight. Morning, the time when birds chirp and cheep and tweet and sing and call out to each other. The time when laundry is done so that the clothes can dry in the morning sun and be put away in the afternoon. The time to make breakfast, milk the cows (though that's usually more at dawn,...)... the time to get up from bed and stretch and think on what a good night's rest you had.  
  
Everyone was at the breakfast table. Well, almost everyone. Amelia was there as was Gourry. They would leave after breakfast. Sylphiel and Filia were there. They would begin classes right after breakfast. Naga was there. She would begin her Princess duties after breakfast as well. Xellos was there. He was waiting for Lina to appear. As was everyone else.  
  
"I wonder where she is?" asked Gourry, echoing everyone's thoughts. "She's never late to breakfast." Trust Gourry to state the obvious for you after five minutes of thinking.  
  
"She seemed fine last night." said Naga. She was also mixing up a drink with other bottles of wine. She then poured it into one bottle and her teacup. The bottle was then hid in her cape.  
  
"Xellos, did you do anything to her?" asked Filia, eyeing Xellos suspiciously. She could feel her mace itching to pound his face...  
  
"I did not." said Xellos.  
  
"Well, she's not coming, it seems." said Amelia. "Perhaps she is tired. Well, I can't wait much longer. Xellos, if she doesn't come down for breakfast, you can check up on her and there will be extra food in the kitchen as always." She then started her breakfast.  
  
Xellos couldn't really blame her or them... they all had a schedule to follow and they had to finish breakfast quickly. So he nodded and took a sip of his tea.  
  
*****  
  
Breakfast was over and done with. Naga had left, as had everyone else. Xellos concentrated behind his closed eyes and felt for Lina's presence. He wasn't too surprised that he felt it in the library...  
  
He appeared there and saw an interesting sight... Lina was there, sleeping. Her hand held a quill with dried ink over her notebook while her other hand was under her head as she slept, glasses still perched on her nose. And all around her, were floating books that she had probably planned on reading... Oh, and there was an uneaten sandwich on the desk.  
  
'Poor Lina chan.' he thought. 'She probably fell asleep writing something...' He tried to read what she wrote and shook his head. She really had the messiest handwriting in the world. He couldn't understand it by just looking at it. He'd have to spend some time deciphering it first.  
  
With a little bit of magic, he lifted her up and put all the books on the desk. He arranged everything neatly and put up a 'Do not touch' sign on the desk. Then he carried her to her bedroom, where he promptly fixed the mess of covers on her bed and then tucked her in. He then went to her workstation in the library and tried to figure out her handwriting.  
  
**(///^)**  
  
Lina woke up some time after Xellos had tucked her in, not that she knew that. All she knew was that she was supposed to finish writing a sentence, but she was in bed, with no quill in her hand.  
  
She sat up and stretched and yawned. Maybe she dreamed it all. Yeah... it was probably a dream. The play they watched was a dream, the notes she took were a dream. But, her hair was still in a ponytail, and she had her coat on, and her notebook wasn't on her desk as it usually was.  
  
'OK, so maybe it wasn't a dream.... then why am I here?' She shrugged, freshened up, changed clothes and then appeared in the kitchen, and scared a poor maid there.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." said Lina as she tried to calm the maid.  
  
"Thank you, I'm fine." she said as she took in a deep breath. "I was just startled. Not many in the castle appear from nothing, miss."  
  
"Oh... yeah, I guess." said Lina sheepishly. "Um, could I get something to eat?"  
  
"Didn't you get any breakfast?" asked the maid.  
  
"Um, no...." she said. Her stomach confirmed her. She blushed and the maid laughed.  
  
"Here, have some!" said the maid. She quickly fixed up something for Lina to eat.  
  
"Thanks!" said Lina. She bowed slightly and then vanished. The maid smiled and continued on her way. Lina was so naive when she couldn't feel her sister around. ^^  
  
*****  
  
Beastmaster frowned and cursed and through things at the wall. She was very mad. She was very angry. She was very annoyed and tired of it all! Stupid Dragons. Ceipheed always thought he was right! Stupid Ceipheed! Sending his Dragons after her Mazoku!  
  
"Men are Stupid!!!!" she shouted. That included her brother, it included Xerxes, it included Xellos for having left her .....  
  
"I am surrounded by idiots!" she shouted.  
  
Why was she so mad? Well, let's say a Mazoku just came and told her about a super strong human that could send Dragons and Mazoku into the Astral and lock them up in there....  
  
*****  
  
Madabar winced as she felt the screams of rage and waves of anger flow from Zelas. She screamed loudly, but the anger was quite delicious.  
  
'Silly Zelas,' she thought. 'You think you can just threaten me and get away with it? We shall see about that.' She then turned back to the matter at hand. One of the Seven Dwarves from the Prophecy had woken up. She was sure he was a Dwarf. That meant that the others would soon wake up. BUT! If the others didn't wake up, then the Prophecy couldn't be fulfilled.... so.... Madabar smiled. The first one had been Zelgadis Greyweirs... one of her traveling companions... maybe if she could finish him off? No, now that he was awake, he was a more formidable opponent,... but the others hadn't woken up yet. If she only knew the characteristics of the Seven Dwarves... Then she could find them and kill them before they awoke...  
  
*****  
  
"Hi Xellos!" said Lina as she walked into the library, eating some food for breakfast.  
  
"Hi Lina chan! Good morning!" he said chirpily as he studied her notes.  
  
"Are you reading my notes?" asked Lina as she walked over to where he was sitting.  
  
"I'm trying to." said Xellos wryly. "You know, you have got to have the worst handwriting ever."  
  
"What do you mean, worst?" asked Lina sharply.  
  
"Exactly that." said Xellos.  
  
"Some people are so picky..." said Lina as she sat by him. "OK, I'll tell you what I found."  
  
"Yeah! I can rest my eyes!" said Xellos. Lina bopped him on the head.  
  
"Not like your handwriting is much better." said Lina jokingly.  
  
"It's better than yours!" said Xellos.  
  
"Yeah right." said Lina. And she told him the story of Red Fire and the Seven Dwarves.  
  
"Red Fire and the Seven Dwarves... by Albuntra the Sage  
  
Once upon a time, there was a pretty girl with brilliant red hair. She was a dear little child, with eyes just as bright and red as her hair. Because of that, she was often called Red by her stepmother or Fire by her friends. Her stepmother was a very vain lady, who was only a little older than Fire, since she had married at a young age. The father/husband had died and left the two girls living in a house.  
  
One day, the Evil Stepmother, called Jizbella, summoned up her mirror.  
  
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall." she said. "Who is the prettiest of them all?"  
  
The mirror, which was a magic mirror, told her in a very serious fashion. "You, my dear, are a pretty lady, but Red Fire, she is a beauty beyond compare despite her lack in physical maturity. Her eyes have caught the gleam of rubies while her hair has the shine of molten lava..."  
  
"OK, shut up. I get the point." said Jizbella. When the mirror didn't pay attention to her, she threatened to break its surface. It quickly shut up. She then paced back and forth, and back and forth...  
  
"For years I have lived in the shadow of that girl. Her father doted on her. He would bring home fruits, and he'd offer them to her first! It was my birthday, and what did he bring home? A small doll for the girl. How I hate that girl! And now, she thinks she can take my beauty away from me? We shall see about that!" And an evil plan began to form in her mind.  
  
Meanwhile, Red Fire was in the house preparing lunch when she heard her stepmother laugh an evil laugh.  
  
"Stepmother sure is happy today." thought Fire to herself. She was preparing a picnic for herself so that she could go out in nature and enjoy herself. Suddenly, her stepmother came in.  
  
"Red, are you making your picnic lunch?" she asked.  
  
"Yes honorable Stepmother." said Fire obediently.  
  
"Here, I will make you something." said Jizbella. She quickly fixed up a fruit salad for her. When Red wasn't looking she sprinkled some powder on it, and some sugar also. "Here you go, Red! Have fun! Don't stay out too late!"  
  
"Thank you honorable Stepmother." said Fire with a smile. "I'll be back!" With that, Fire took her picnic basket and skipped out of the house.  
  
On her way to her favorite glade, she decided to take a short cut, so she skipped through the forest. Now, Fire Red wasn't just a normal little girl. She was strong and could easily defend herself, so she wasn't too worried about being in danger. Besides, she was a dear friend to all the animals.  
  
While she was walking, she came across a little cottage. Curious, Fire Red knocked on the door, but no one answered. She opened the door and went in. Inside she found a bunch of dirty dishes and plates all over the place, and many covering a little table that had seven little chairs.  
  
"Oh, how cute!" she said and sat on one. She didn't quite fit and decided to not sit lest she break the dear chair. "My, this place is very dirty!" she said. So, with a stubborn look, she set to washing up all the plates. When she finished she nodded to herself with satisfaction. All the plates where squeaky clean and she didn't waste water. Stepmother would have been so proud. Then she spied some stairs. Taking her picnic basket in one hand she went up and saw a room with seven little beds. Each bed had a name on it. She read them to herself."  
  
"At this point, I'm just inventing names up, Xellos." said Lina.  
  
"How come?" asked Xellos.  
  
"No one knows for sure the actual names, since the original manuscript was lost. These are the names I made up for them." said Lina, and she continued to read.  
  
"A, B, C, D, E, F, and G." read Fire Red.  
  
"Wait a minute." said Xellos as he interrupted. "You call those names?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Well, it isn't the easiest thing to name imaginary dwarves, you know." said Lina crossly. "Now, let me read."  
  
"What cute little beds!" said Fire Red. "But they are all messy and not tucked in!" And indeed they weren't. So, Red Fire promptly made all the beds and was so tired at the end that she collapsed on E's bed.  
  
Now, although Red Fire didn't know this, this was the house of seven hard working dwarves who worked in a nearby restaurant called 'The Seven Dwarves'. They always left to work early in the morning and came back late at night. So, they finally made it home. Once they got there....  
  
"This door has been left open!" said C. He turned to B. "You did shut the door, right?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure I did. I think. I hope." said B.  
  
"Let's go in and see if there is anything missing." said G. So they did.  
  
"Oh look! Someone washed all the plates!" said B excitedly. "Now I don't have to wash them anymore!"  
  
"Is anything missing?" asked D. He then sneezed.  
  
"Bless you." said G. "I don't think so."  
  
"Well, then, I don't care." said E. "As long as everything is clean and nothing is missing, I say we should leave it be."  
  
"Yeah!" said A. "Maybe a good and kind fairy came and cleaned it for us!" He was a very optimistic Dwarf.  
  
"Perhaps we should just leave it be?" asked F, repeating E. G nodded. D sniffed the air.  
  
"I smell something different!" he said.  
  
"It's just your imagination." said E. "You're too sleepy. Let's go to bed!"  
  
"Yeah! Lets!" chimed in everyone. But G took one more look around the room and D sniffed it a bit. E was the first one up and he threw himself on his bed. That is when he realized that something was wrong.  
  
Fire Red woke up with a start. She felt someone jump on her. She imagined the worst case scenario. Immediately, she panicked, screamed, grabbed whoever it was and threw him across the room. Then she leapt out of bed, grabbed a chair and brandished it in the direction of the dwarves.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked.  
  
"Um... you were sleeping on my bed." said E from the corner of the room. "I think it's my right to ask what YOU are doing on my bed."  
  
"And in our house!" said G.  
  
"See! I told you I smelled something!" said D.  
  
"Who is she?" asked B. "I don't recognize her." Some minutes later... after all the confusion was sorted out...  
  
"So, you are dwarves that live here?" asked Fire.  
  
"Yes. And you are the one that made our beds and cleaned the kitchen?" asked G.  
  
"Yes." said Fire.  
  
"No one told me we got a maid." said B.  
  
"That's cause we don't, idiot." said E.  
  
"Oh my, I just realized! My stepmother must be worried about me!" said Fire. "I must get home!"  
  
"No, stay with us tonight, Fire." said A, who really liked Fire. "It is too dark outside and you might get lost. You can go in the morning. Stay till it's morning."  
  
"I can?" asked Fire. "Oh thank you!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess." said G.  
  
"It'll be fun!" said F.  
  
"Maybe she can cook something yummy!" said B.  
  
"Yeah." said D.  
  
"I have my picnic basket. Let's eat that!" said Fire. The dwarves agreed heartily and Fire brought out her food, but she left the fruit salad in because it would be for dessert. Everyone ate up.  
  
"It is very good!" said B.  
  
"She has better food than the restaurant." said F.  
  
"Who made it?" asked A.  
  
"I did." said Fire with a smile.  
  
"Wow, you're good." said G. "If you have time, maybe you can give us some tips for our restaurant!"  
  
Finally they finished eating, but everyone was so tired and stuffed that they didn't want dessert. While Fire wanted to eat, she wanted to eat it with her friends. So, she decided to eat it the next day. She put it into a cooling box.  
  
The next day, she tried to wake up early, but she didn't. She was too tired and she slept in. The dwarfs tried to wake her up but couldn't since it was getting late, they decided to let her sleep in. B wanted to eat some salad, but G pulled him away and told him to not eat it because it was Fire's food.  
  
Fire woke up feeling refreshed and quite good. She realized that the dwarves had left to work and left her a note telling her to take care and that they hoped they would see each other again. She smiled. They were so fun! She decided to leave them the salad and went out of the house, locked the door, (G always carried the key) and went home. But as she neared her home, she realized something was different. First, there was mad laughter coming from the house. She crept closer and saw her Stepmother dancing around.  
  
"Ahahaha!" she laughed. "She is gone! No more Red. She has vanished. She is dead!"  
  
Red felt many things at once, things like betrayal, sadness, grief, anger.... and hope. Now, she could finally escape from this house! She climbed up the wall and went into her room where she grabbed her clothes, and important things, like the doll her dad gave her, her piggy bank, her scrapbook... And then she left.  
  
She ran through the forest, not caring that branches where slapping her. She had to get away fast before her Stepmother noticed her. She made it back and then realized that the door was locked. She tried to get in through a window, but they were barred and too small to go through anyway. So she sat outside the door and went to sleep while waiting for the Dwarves.  
  
The Dwarves came back home that night, and were surprised to find a sleeping Fire Red on their doorstep. So, they unlocked the door and took her in. Inside, they woke her up...  
  
"Hey, Fire." said G when Fire opened her eyes.  
  
"Oh, hi!" she said. "You guys finally came back!"  
  
"What happened, Fire?" asked A.  
  
"Stepmother thinks I'm dead and she's happy." said Fire.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." said F. "You must feel devastated."  
  
"I guess, I suppose so," said Fire hesitantly. "Truth be told, I've been waiting for an excuse to get out of that house."  
  
"So, where are you going to stay?" asked B.  
  
"Um... could I stay with you?" asked Fire. "I can cook, and clean and make the beds. I can stay here while you work, or I can help you work in your restaurant."  
  
The dwarves talked among themselves.  
  
"She cooks yummy." said B.  
  
"She said she'd do the chores." said G.  
  
"I think we should let her." said F.  
  
"Besides, she doesn't have a home!" said A.  
  
"OK, then let's keep her." said E  
  
"Sure. She cooks better than any of us." said C.  
  
"Let's!" said D.  
  
"We have come to an agreement." said G to Fire.  
  
"And we said Yes!" said A.  
  
"So, could you cook us supper?" asked B.  
  
"Sure!" said Fire happily. "Thank you so much!"  
  
And Fire stayed with them. They planned a picnic for the next day and then, they would eat the fruit salad that Fire had with her.  
  
Meanwhile, at Jizbella's house....  
  
Jizbella ran around the house, mad with glee. She then ran to her room, combed her hair and put on some makeup. She then went to her mirror.  
  
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall." she said happily. "Who is the prettiest of them all?"  
  
The mirror's surface changed and many clouds appeared and finally came the face.  
  
"You are," said the mirror. Jizbella smiled knowingly. "Or actually, you would be, if it were not for the one you call Red. For her beauty is unsurpassed on earth."  
  
"What????!" asked Jizbella. "Isn't she dead?"  
  
"No," said the mirror. "At this very moment, she is at the house of the Seven Dwarves."  
  
Jizbella dismissed the mirror and thought quickly. Red was still alive, she still had to kill her. So, she smiled evilly to herself and planned another surprise for our heroine.  
  
The next day, the dwarves had decided to take a day off to enjoy the picnic that Fire had planned for them.  
  
"Yummy, yummy, yummy, food!" shouted B as he skipped along side her.  
  
"Oh shut up." said C. But C was also excited, and kept trying to peek into the basket, along with D. E looked half asleep as he walked with them, but that was normal. F and A talked about restaurant matters while G listened. They made a nice looking group.  
  
They finally made it to Fire's favorite glade to eat. And eat they did! They dug into all the good and yummy food. And for a surprise, Fire took out a huge, creamy and very delicious looking chocolate cake.  
  
"Wow." said the dwarves. B's mouth began to water...  
  
"I decided to make cake, since the fruit salad is probably going bad by now." said Fire. The basket was off to one side of the blanket. She was across the glade, having found a stump to put the cake on to facilitate the cutting of said cake.  
  
"Yummy!" said the dwarves.  
  
While Fire was cutting the cake, Jizbella watched them from behind a tree. She had asked her mirror where Fire was. And now knew what to do. From within the folds of her cloak, she took out a box.  
  
"Go, my loyal supporters..." she whispered. "Go and kill them." And from within the box, came two spiders, with green and yellow markings on them.  
  
"..." said the spiders, since spiders usually don't say much. And they went to the eight who were eating. Destination... Red and her friends.  
  
Jizbella smiled. These were her special arachnids. One bite and the victim would suffer about 2 hours of agony and pain, and then they'd die, and that was that. Then, she'd be the most beautiful of them all.  
  
A dug into his cake. He savored every bite and was in chocolate land. He was eating while he was standing up, and was twirling around on his foot. The other dwarves ignored him. A was like that. He sometimes got a little carried away...  
  
From the arachnid point of view, A was a menace that should be stayed away from. If one of A's feet fell on them, they'd be dead. So, they skirted around A. And chose another victim.  
  
"Here you go, B!" said Fire as she handed him a slice of cake.  
  
"Yummy! Yummy, yummy, yummy cake!" he said. "Thanks Fire! You're the best!" He sat down on a rock and started to eat it.  
  
'A ha!" thought a spider as he spied him sitting down. He crawled up and was about to bite into the victim, when B stood up abruptly, causing the bug to fall off the rock.  
  
"Done!" he said! The spider was surprised. Done already?  
  
"You're finished already!?" asked Fire. "OK, wait until everyone gets their cake and then you can get a second slice."  
  
"Yeah!" said B. He then ran over to A and tried to get him to share his cake.  
  
The spiders were not deterred. They chose their next victim, C.  
  
"Here you go, C." said Fire. "Enjoy!"  
  
"Thank you, Fire!" said C. He spied a rock and was about to sit down when he decided not to. He saw a broken stump, and he went over there. No, he didn't want to sit there either. The spiders sighed in exasperation. When was the silly dwarf going to sit down? They followed him again. It may have been easy for the dwarf to go from the rock to the stump, but for the spiders it was a longer distance.  
  
"What's wrong, C?" asked G.  
  
"Won't you sit down?" asked Fire.  
  
"I will. As soon as I find a place that isn't moldy or dirty!" said C. Fire and everyone else sweat dropped.  
  
"Go sit on a tree or something." said D.  
  
"That's a good idea!" said C. And he climbed up the tree with his cake and sat there. The spiders looked at the tree and then at each other. No way they were going to climb the tree. Next. One look at D, and they decided to bypass him. D was arguing with B because D didn't want to give B some of his cake. They were running around. Enough said. They choose their next victim.... E. Now, E looked very easy. He had finished eating his cake and was on the blanket taking a snooze. The spiders nudged each other and pointed, stifling spider giggles. Then quietly, they skittered to where E was sleeping. Seeing that he wasn't moving, one of the spiders approached and looked around. It seemed too good to be true, but it looked like it would work out! Most of the dwarfs were looking elsewhere, and Fire was occupied. So, the spider bit E's pinkie. And broke his fangs.  
  
The other spider looked surprised. That had never happened before! The spiders ran to hide under a rock.  
  
E woke up.  
  
"I dreamed that something bit me." said E suddenly.  
  
"Huh?" asked Fire.  
  
"He gets dreams many times since he falls asleep so often." said F.  
  
"Oh, and what was it about?" asked Fire.  
  
"A bug bit me." said E. The spiders listened.  
  
"That's awful!" said Fire. "Does that usually happen?"  
  
"Bugs biting me?" asked E. "No, not often. I have a curse on me. My skin is as hard as rock. Any insect that would try would get their stinger broken."  
  
"Oh... that's good!" said Fire.  
  
"No, it's not!" said E. "I want to be a normal dwarf! Why me? Why do I have to be the cursed one? Why can't I get stung and poisoned by bugs like normal dwarves???"  
  
Fire looked surprised. "Just ignore him." said G to Fire. "He gets like this every once in a while."  
  
F got the next piece. This time, there was only one spider that could bite. The other one was nursing a hurt jaw. Now, F seemed like a very calm dwarf. He had his cake and was sitting on a rock and eating it slowly. Too good to be true? Yeah, the spider thought so also. So he watched the dwarf and made sure it would stay there and not do anything weird. As soon as he was sure, he skittered quickly to where the dwarf was. But by the time he got there, the dwarf had finished and was standing up and doing stretches. The spider snapped its imaginary fingers. If he had only walked a little faster. Now that the dwarf was stretching and moving around, he would have to be careful he wasn't stepped on.  
  
The other spider watched him and sighed... that idiot. The first spider finally made it safely to the rock and they talked amongst themselves. This was not working. If they could cause a scandal, then the others would drop their guard and it'd be that much easier to bite them and kill them all. So, the spider set out to bite Fire.  
  
"Here, G!" said Fire. "Here's your piece of cake!" G took the plate. "Wait a sec, let me get you a spoon..." Her hands roamed for the spoon. "Oh goodness! I forgot it in the basket!" She ran to the picnic basket. She looked back, not looking where she was going. "Hang on a sec!"  
  
The spider with the broken fangs gasped. The spider that was running to Fire halted and turned back. Too late....  
  
CRUNCH  
  
Fire looked down...  
  
"Eeww..." she said. "I stepped on a spider. That's gross!" She ran the bottom of the shoe to get the spider gunk off her sole. G looked at the spider critically. Then she saw the other one under the rock. The one under the rock saw G's look, gulped and ran away.  
  
"Why looking so angry, G?" asked Fire as she gave G her spoon.  
  
"I thought I saw something." said G.  
  
And Jizbella, seeing her poor toothless spider decided it was no use fighting against people who could so easily handle her killer spiders. So, she settled down for second best....  
  
"Mirror, mirror on the wall," she said. "Who's the second fairest of them all?"  
  
"Not you." said the mirror impudently.  
  
THE END"  
  
"That's it?" asked Xellos after the story was finished.  
  
"Yeah, that's it." said Lina. "Don't you remember the names of the dwarves from the play?"  
  
"Um, no... actually, didn't the announcer say that no one was sure of the names so they decided to name the dwarfs, John, Elkinor, Luke, Matthew, Serge, Ramzas and..."  
  
"And Tim." said Lina. "See what I mean? No one knows the exact names..."  
  
"Anyway, this story seems a bit more complete than the play we watched." said Xellos.  
  
"If you will remember," said Lina. "The play we watched was performed by children around seven. Obviously some parts have been skipped. This is as complete as I could find it."  
  
"OK." said Xellos. "Step back and watch how the master solves these things...." Lina raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to go on.  
  
"Perhaps we can't find their names, but we can find their characteristics." said Xellos. "Wait, this was written after the prophecy, right?"  
  
"Of course it was!" said Lina. "If it weren't, then why would I spend so much time looking it up?"  
  
"Just making sure Lina chan." said Xellos. He took out a sheet and wrote down the side, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Lina looked at his handwriting jealously. "And yes, I know, my handwriting is so much better than yours."  
  
"You blind fruitcake!" she shouted and hit him on the head. "Now, get to work on it!"  
  
"Yes ma'am." said Xellos as he saluted her smartly.  
  
"Show off!" said Lina with a smile.  
  
Author's notes... As you may have noticed, this is the end of chapter 20. The reason the chapter was so long was that I included the fairy tale in the second part. I hope I didn't bore you with the story. I guess you could have skipped it if you felt like it, but there are various hints in the story about the identities of the Seven Dwarfs. All the Dwarf's (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) conversations are hints to their true identities also. Oh, and BTW, I don't own Disney. I just borrowed the story, and twisted it a bit... and voici la storiette! ^^ So, hope you enjoyed this and didn't bore yourselves to tears.... So, till next time! The next chapter will take a little longer, since school is starting for me today, Tuesday.... *sniff, sniff, wail, sniff* So, when you read this, please remember this poor little authoress, who has to go to school and toil through all her AP classes because someone took control over her when she was signing up for classes. (I'm taking three AP classes.....I'm gonna so die this next year.....*sniff, sniff* And there goes my perfect GPA....^^ OK, so it's not perfect, but I'm planning on it for next year with so many AP things............Of course, my friend says that universities don't really look to hard at your senior grades............ Oh,... life is hard.... and I don't make it easier on myself.... ^^ OK, enough of my complaints. Please read and review. And send me reviews to cheer me up! Please??????????? OK, you don't have to if you don't want to... but you are all very nice and considerate people, right????! *looks eagerly at the audience* ^^ OK, enought with this. Thank you everyone who has valiantly reviewed. Thank you so much! Consider yourself hugged till you turn purple. ^^ Take care! Hotaru  
  
Quotes  
  
Million-to-one chances crop up nice times out of ten. -Granny Weatherwax  
  
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's heaven for? -Rober Browning  
  
The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream. -Harry Kemp 


	21. Ripples in the Water...

Slayers: To The End By the Rebel Against Normality!  
  
Disclaimer: You probably know this by heart all ready.... ^^ Slayers aint mine. I know, it's sad. Don't cry, people, the world aint over yet. We can still dream and hope for that one day, far, far away.. ^^  
  
Chapter 21 Ripples in the Water...  
  
Now, Lina and Xellos weren't the only ones busy researching fairy tales. Far away, on Wolf Pack Island, someone got stuck with the job of reading fairy tales...  
  
"So, how's everything going?" asked Madabar. She was making him work hard before turning him to Zelas.  
  
"Shut up." said Xerxes. "This is the most boring piece of junk ever written. It's all happy and joyful and I'm gonna puke if I have to keep on reading this."  
  
"Now, Zelas told me she wanted to see you." said Madabar with a grin. Xerxes froze.  
  
"Who me?????" he asked weakly. "What for?"  
  
"You can guess." said Madabar sweetly. "Wouldn't it be nice if you had succeeded something by the time you go to her?" He nodded. "Figure out the elves."  
  
"They are dwarves." said Xerxes. "And why do I have to do this anyway?"  
  
"My contacts have informed me that the Prophecy mentions the Seven Dwarfs. There are a few more books with dwarves but this one seems to fit the bill, seeing it has seven dwarves, a heroine called Fire Red, and written by the same guy after the prophecy was written." said Madabar, flaunting her knowledge.  
  
"Did you contacts also tell you that this was written 3 years later, and by then, he had become loony as was in a mental hospital when he wrote this?" asked Xerxes. At Madabar's stunned look, he laughed. "I have contacts too. Don't underestimate me, Madabar. Besides, you want me to research something? Prepare to find out many interesting facts that you haven't known yet."  
  
"Then... why?" she asked. "Why did you read it anyway?"  
  
"To help you feel higher and that way, force you to fall a longer distance." said Xerxes. "Now, I have to go and see to some things. See you later, Madabar." And he vanished. Madabar screamed, cursed, shouted and let out her anger.  
  
"So, you think you have bettered me?" she asked to no one in particular, after her verbal explosion. "We shall see about that." Then, she too vanished.  
  
*****  
  
"So, what have you found out, dear brother of mine?" asked Zelas. She looked at the Mazoku before her.  
  
"A few interesting things." said Xerxes.  
  
"Like?" asked Zelas.  
  
"Things Madabar didn't know."  
  
"Oh." said Zelas. "So, that was the reason that Madabar was screaming just a minute ago."  
  
"Yeah." said Xerxes, smugly. "Anyway, here's my info. Zelgadis is one of the Seven Dwarves. I have looked up as many books on Seven Dwarves that I could find, and this one fits the bill pretty nicely."  
  
Zelas picked up the book. It was worn out and had a falling spine and a scratched up cover. She barely made out the title.  
  
"Red Fire and the Seven Dwarves." read Zelas. "... by Albuntra the Sage. Copyright..."  
  
"Exactly." said Xerxes. "This is the first printing of the fairy tale, in its complete form, with no omissions, printed by his wife, Princess Lina."  
  
"I must say I am impressed." said Zelas. "Where did you find it?"  
  
"Now, that, is a secret." said Xerxes with a smile. Zelas hit him in the head. "OK, OK, I went to the past, and took the copy from the library."  
  
"Good work." said Zelas. "Find the other Dwarves and finish them off before they awake." Xerxes turned to go. "Oh, and good job, brother dear. Your acting talents are wonderful. Not that it's too hard for you to act dumb."  
  
"Haha." said Xerxes. And then, he vanished. Zelas smiled. It was so wonderful to double-cross everyone you worked with...  
  
*****  
  
"Look, this is getting annoying, Xellos." said Lina crossly as she sat beside Xellos. "Are you getting anywhere with this?" It was three hours later, and Lina had left to bring them a snack.  
  
"Yes, Lina!" said Xellos. "This is what I have so far. There are Seven Dwarves." He took a sip of tea. "Thanks Lina chan!"  
  
"No, really?" asked Lina sarcastically. "And, you're welcome."  
  
"Yes, really." answered Xellos with a grin. "If you look at this, each Dwarf has a special characteristic. Take A, for example. In every reference to A, he is joyful and optimistic. He is very caring."  
  
"And so??" asked Lina.  
  
"Well, reading this other book I got from my own library of ancient writings." said Xellos. He took out an ancient book, but in excellent condition. "Called, Most Interesting Writings from the Sages through the Years, I have found quite a bit about Albuntra. For example, Albuntra loved symbolism."  
  
"I knew that." said Lina with annoyance in her voice. "I worked with him."  
  
"Yeah, but it's like an allusion, a reference to something, in this case a human characteristic. The exact word escapes my mind at the present moment. But it's like giving a character the name of Greed. From the name, you can tell the character is greedy, and probably stingy, etc. etc. etc. Or Love, or Peace, or War.... you catch my drift?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Yeah, a little." said Lina.  
  
"Well, my little book, says that he liked them a lot. Chances are, he used it quite a bit in his fairy tale, more so than in his prophecy. So, take A. Extrapolating the data collected on him, we could say that the names possible for A would be.... Love, or Happiness, or Optimism or something along those lines." said Xellos with a smile.  
  
"Amazing!" said Lina. "But you're forgetting one thing. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he gave them common names like Drake or Maverick..."  
  
"True, Lina chan." admitted Xellos. "But this is one option to see it."  
  
"If only we had an example, or at least, one of the names of the Dwarves. Something to point us in the right direction." Lina sighed and ate her sandwich slowly. She chewed for a while and then leaned on Xellos. "But this is so hard. It's like trying to put together a puzzle, and we don't even know what the picture is, or what the color scheme is.... This is so depressing, Xellos. If we don't find them soon, then we won't be able to defeat whoever it is..." Lina trailed off and thought for a while. "You know what's so annoying?"  
  
"What?" asked Xellos. He put his arm around her, her head leaning on his shoulder. It was, you could say, a favorite position for them.  
  
"We don't even know who's the bad guy." said Lina.  
  
"That's true." said Xellos thought fully.  
  
"I mean, I heard what Amelia was saying. The Dragons and Mazokus are fighting. None are backing down. No one knows why the Mazoku are attacking, no one knows why the Dragons are attacking."  
  
"Maybe they just woke up and realized how much they hate each other!" said Xellos with a grin.  
  
"It's no laughing matter, Xellos!" said Lina.  
  
"I know, I know. Gomen, Lina chan." said Xellos.  
  
"Then, there is Filia's prophecy..." said Lina. "She was so sure that it was all your fault. And then, there's that weird Dragon Elder she talked about... I would like to see his prophecy. Just to see what it said and whether the interpretation was actually correct or not..."  
  
"My, my, my, looks like Lina is doing some heavy thinking." said Xellos jokingly.  
  
"I always do, you fruitcake!" said Lina, half angrily, but with a twinkle in her eyes. She knew it was a joke to try to get her to feel better.  
  
"You know, we could just pop in on the Dragon Elder and take a peek at his prophecy..." said Xellos.  
  
"I am afraid that is not possible, Knight of Chaos." said a familiar voice. Lina shuddered and slowly turned around. Xellos looked up curiously to see who could get Lina to feel so afraid...  
  
At the doorway of the library, stood an imposing figure, dressed up as a maid.  
  
"You!, you're..... the maid... that served me.... you're.... you're Luna-oneechan..." whispered Lina, her eyes frightened, her face pale, her lips dry... and all those wonderful signs to show that people are shocked and scared for their lives at the same time.  
  
"You finally figured it out, Lina?" asked the maid. "Not feeling too perceptive today, are we?" Lina whimpered and got closer to Xellos.  
  
*****  
  
Xellos, being the perfect host he always tried to be, invited Luna into the library. Luna came in and nodded at Xellos, for they seemed to know each other.  
  
"How do you do, Knight of Ceipheed?" asked Xellos as they sat around a desk.  
  
"I am doing quite well, Knight of Chaos." said Luna. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Trickster Priest Xellos."  
  
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine!" said Xellos. He got two more teacups out of nowhere and poured the three of them some tea. They drank some. "Now, I must say, and I am sure Lina chan agrees with me, that it is definitely a surprise to see you here."  
  
"Ceipheed's orders." said Luna simply. "You're not going to talk to me, Lina?"  
  
"Yes? um.. no, no,.. I mean.... hi, Luna oneechan. How is everything so far?" asked Lina, acting very politely, sitting all prim and proper and not looking at her sister in the eyes.  
  
"Oh, everything is all fine in Zephyria." said Luna. They all took another sip.  
  
"So, what could possibly get Ceipheed to ask you to come over here?" asked Xellos.  
  
"You two." said Luna. They all took yet another sip. Lina looked uncomfortable, as she tried to steady her cup and not spill anything. Xellos and Luna were treating it quite the opposite of Lina. Instead of being a nervous wreck, like Lina was, Xellos was polite and chilvarous, as if he had been drilled on proper manners all his life. Luna too, was sipping her tea calmly.  
  
It was stuffy in the library. The windows were all closed, and she had to drink hot, bitter, tea.... She wished she could open the window and get some fresh air. The air was too still... She so wished that Luna oneechan weren't here. And she majorly needed to get rid of some pent up nervousness. Her hand was still shaking. She couldn't take it anymore.... she was going to burst.... her hand shook again.  
  
*****  
  
Xerxes looked at his notes. It was always nice to have the answer key to everything. He took a few more notes on his paper.  
  
'Hm..' he thought. 'Well, what do you know? Two dwarves together? Talk about killing two birds with one stone... And if they aren't... oh well, two less to bother us.' And he put away his book of fairy tales and got ready to attack. Now, to make sure Lina wouldn't be able to fulfill prophecy, and make sure Zelas wouldn't get in his way either. Silly Zelas, she always had had a sweet spot for her Trickster Priest. Too bad that was the weakness he would exploit.  
  
*****  
  
Lina dropped her teacup. Time seemed to slow down. Slowly, her fingers seemed to slip from her fingers, and the teacup fell down, down, down, down CRASH!, splash....  
  
"Sorry!" said Lina hurriedly as she grabbed a napkin and tried to clean up the mess without getting any book wet or making a bigger mess. "I'm really sorry." The mess was cleaned up...  
  
"You're still such a klutz, Lina." said Luna, her bangs hiding her eyes.  
  
"Sorry, oneechan." said Lina, her face red. Gosh, she really hated to use the silly little cup. It always threatened to slip when she was nervous, silly cup, silly cup...  
  
[You OK, Lina chan?] asked Xellos worriedly, although on the outside, he showed no response.  
  
[I'll be fine, I'll be fine....] said Lina. She finished and sat down, taking deep breaths while trying to calm herself.  
  
"OK," said Luna. "The time for visits is over. I have a few questions for you."  
  
"As we for you." said Xellos.  
  
"Of course." said Luna. "But that can wait."  
  
"As can your questions, Miss Luna." said Xellos. Although his face was still friendly and his voice seemed easy going, Lina could detect an undercurrent of steel and ice.  
  
"Too true, Trickster Priest. Shall I go, or would you like to go first?"  
  
"It would be nice of you to go first, Miss Inverse." said Xellos.  
  
"Well, where do I start?" she asked.  
  
"Why are you here." said Xellos. Although it was phrased like a question, it was not meant as one.  
  
"Ceipheed sent me." she said.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"To watch you two. Besides, I wanted to talk to you in private." said Luna.  
  
"We can do that later." said Xellos. "What does Ceipheed want?"  
  
"He hasn't told me." said Luna. "Something about the balances tipping."  
  
"We know that already." said Lina quietly.  
  
"My, you actually speak, dear sister." said Luna. Lina blushed and looked down. "Anyway, what is going on with L-sama?"  
  
"With what?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Why are you two intervening? Chaos usually does not take direct action in matters such as these." said Luna.  
  
"Even when the matters include major balance tipping?" asked Lina. Then she remembered to who she was talking to and she hurriedly shut up.  
  
"She has not ever actively interfered before." said Luna. "Not even during the Dragon and Mazoku war did she interfere."  
  
"Maybe she did." said Xellos. "You weren't there."  
  
"True." said Luna. "That still does not explain your roles in the going ons at the present moment. Which way are the balances tipping?"  
  
"That is not for you to know," said Xellos. "For we are Chaos agents and go where we are needed. Whether we side on the Dragons or the Mazokus side, we will do what is necessary to even out the scales."  
  
"That tells me nothing." said Luna. She wasn't smiling.  
  
"Bingo." said Xellos. "Anything else?"  
  
"So you won't tell me whether you are on the Dragons or the Mazoku's side?"  
  
"Nope!" said Xellos. He grinned.  
  
"Now, I have a private question for Xellos." said Luna.  
  
"So you mean Lina can't be here?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Exactly." said Luna.  
  
"Then you answer is Sore wa himitsu desu." said Xellos. "End of question. If you want to say something to me, you can say it with both of us present. We are both the Knight of Chaos, L-sama's incarnate representation."  
  
Luna looked them over. Lina smiled softly, while Xellos grinned stupidly while staring at Luna.  
  
"Very well then." said Luna. "What are your intentions concerning my sister?" Xellos smiled.  
  
"That, Knight of Ceipheed, is really none of your business. But if you really want to know the answer, Sore wa himitsu desu!" said Xellos. He grinned. Luna raised an eyebrow and vanished. Xellos put his arm around Lina and looked at her.  
  
"Feeling better?" he asked her. She smiled, her cheeks starting to get red.  
  
"Thank you, Xellos." she said, and hugged him back and kissed him lightly on the cheek.  
  
"That's all I get for standing up for you?" asked Xellos with a cute little pout. Lina laughed, and while still red, kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back.  
  
"Thanks for being sticking with me," said Lina. Xellos smiled and rubbed the back of his head with one hand.  
  
"Well, can't have my Lina chan moping around, can I?"  
  
*****  
  
Amelia was bored. Gourry was bored. That was very bad. Amelia wanted to do something. She had already prepared her speech notes and had chosen her clothes and everything. She had prepared how she would climb up to the stage, and start her notes. She had everything done and ready. They would arrive in about an hour or so. Maybe less. So, now... she was bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored stiff, bored, bored, bored to tears, bored, bored and bored. You get the point, right? Gourry was bored. Here he was, sitting in the coach with Amelia. He was very bored. He had tried to count all the cows he saw in the country side. After loosing count one too many times, he gave up and started to contemplate the shape of clouds. After finding many pieces of food in the sky, he came across one thought. He had to find something to do or eat, or he would.... I don't know... sleep.  
  
Amelia stretched and yawned. Gourry yawned. She yawned. He yawned. Ever heard of a yawn being contagious? Well, it's specially contagious when you are bored.  
  
"I'm bored, Gourry." said Amelia. "I want to do something."  
  
"I'm hungry." said Gourry. His stomach seconded his statement. Amelia sighed and poked her head out of the carriage, calling for food. Food was immediately brought in. While Gourry devoured the snack before him, Amelia took a sip from her bottle of water. Normally, one sips tea out of a teacup, but on the road, where pavement or cobblestones had not been yet introduced, it was not quite wise. And come on, who drinks tea from a bottle? They were having a very calm and semi quiet snack when, all of a sudden, a huge blast took their attention. Amelia looked up at the sound and Gourry immediately put his hand to his sword hilt. He poked his head out of the window to see what was happening.  
  
"Amelia!" he cried.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Amelia.  
  
"There is a Mazoku and a Dragon fighting out there!" said Gourry.  
  
"What?" asked Amelia. She opened the door and ran out to see what was happening. Various guards dutifully tried to convince her to go back in, but she waved them aside. Suddenly, the Mazoku caught them in his eyesight, and his eyes narrowed.  
  
"Look, I don't have time to play with you," said the Mazoku to the Dragon. "I have my own things to do. Stay out!" With a swoop, the Mazoku dove towards the earth, his eyes intent on Amelia.  
  
"Coward, come back here!" shouted the Dragon as he gave chase to the Demon. Gourry took this in and ran out and stationed himself infront of Amelia, his hand on his sword. Although it wasn't the Sword of Light, it was still a magic sword that Amelia had chosen for him from Seyruun's treasures.  
  
"Pathetic humans." said the Mazoku as he spiraled upwards suddenly. The sudden shift in directions confused the Dragons, and barely stopped himself from running into the humans on the road. He backed his wings, trying to stop and almost crashed into them. The wind generated by the wings knocked Gourry on top of Amelia.  
  
"Stop interfering!" said the Dragon angrily. "Go find refuge and don't try to stop my fight!" With that, he reared up and flew after the Mazoku, who was flying in circles in the sky, planning its next move.  
  
"Are you OK, Amelia?" asked Gourry as he got up and helped her up. Amelia dusted herself and fixed her air.  
  
"Mr. Gourry!" said Amelia. "We must stop their fight. Our destination is close to here, and their fight could easily carry into the next city! Oh, and I'm fine, Mr. Gourry."  
  
"That's good, Amelia. Now, how are you going to do that?" asked Gourry, not quite sure how little Amelia could stop huge Dragon and Mazoku up in the sky.  
  
"I don't know." said Amelia. "But I, as the Princess of Seyruun, Champion of Peace and Justice, cannot sit here with my arms crossed!" And she levitated up.  
  
Gourry looked puzzledly at her. She hadn't been sitting with her arms crossed, what was she talking about? Now, how was he supposed to protect Amelia if she was up there and he was stuck on the ground. He looked around and saw other white mages that traveled with them. He formed an idea. Lina did it for him, they could too.  
  
*****  
  
The Dragon and Mazoku clashed in battle, as they hurled balls and spears of fire at each other. Amelia's brow wrinkled as she tried to figure out some way to stop them from fighting. From up here, she could see the city. She had to find a way to get their attention.  
  
"Hey!" she shouted. Since they weren't listening to her, she took out her huge megaphone and yelled into it. Startled, the two stopped. The Dragon took advantage of the opening and blasted the Demon, sending him crashing into a copse of trees nearer to the city.  
  
"STOP FIGHTING!" she shouted.  
  
"Do not interfere, Princess." said the Dragons as he flew past her. The wind generated, sent her flying, although she quickly steadied herself and flew after them. She was almost in tears. Why did they keep on fighting. She wanted so much to make them understand to not fight now. To fight somewhere else, to not hurt the civilians. Why couldn't they just talk it out and do it calmly and all that? She was so into her thoughts that she did not notice the golden aura surround her. But she did notice both the Dragon and Demon looking at her with surprise.  
  
"Hey! Stop fighting here!" she shouted at them, although, if you looked carefully, there was a small smile on her face.  
  
"Look, human. I told you..." started the Dragon, but froze when he saw her glowing. "What the...."  
  
"It's all your fault!" said the Demon. His job was now million times harder... With a surprise leap, he pushed the Dragon aside. He was about to blast her smiling face, when a figure appeared before him. It was Gourry, floating in mid-air...  
  
Well, he wasn't flying by his own power, for Gourry had the magic powers of a flea. And he had the brains of a jellyfish... BUT! Even jellyfishes think, right? So, seeing that Amelia was going to try and confront them, Gourry thought furiously... and came across the conclusion, that if he wanted to help Amelia, he would have to learn how to fly. So, her ran to one of the mages around there, and asked them to teach him how to fly. To say that the mages were taken back was the understandment of the year. They slowly explained to him, using short words, that he had to spend months practicing and concentrating to gain the finesse needed for the spell. He had looked so stumped and sad that they had offered to hold him up. He smiled and said that that would be OK. Presently, he was in the air because all the mages had put a Raywing bubble around him to keep him in the air. It was a big bubble with a level floor, so that Gourry would have space to maneuver.  
  
"No! If you want to get to her, you'll have to get through me first, you...uh...." said Gourry. He turned to Amelia and asked her something in her ear. With a sigh, Amelia spoke.  
  
"That one is a Mazoku. And the one with huge gold wings is a Dragon." she said. "Tell you what. You take care of the Dragon, and I'll do the Mazoku, OK?"  
  
"Um... sure!" said Gourry. He looked confused at the Dragon and then at the Demon... "Um, Amelia... who was the Dragon again?"  
  
"That one!" said Amelia, pointing at the Dragon happily. Gourry smiled.  
  
"OK!" he said with a goofy grin. He turned to the Dragon. "I'm supposed to fight you, right?" The Dragon facefaulted and fell to the earth. Gourry 'flew' after him.  
  
"Now, it's just between us two!!!" said Amelia. If it was possible, her aura glowed even brighter than what it already was. The Demon eyed her warily. A human having that much confidence was unnerving. She probably knew a really strong spell if she was that confident.  
  
"Look, make my job easier and let me kill you." said the Demon, and he rushed Amelia. Amelia giggled and phased out of the way.  
  
"You missed!!!!" she said happily. The Demon frowned. No way she could have gotten out of the way, unless she had vanished, and only................ shoot! He had forgotten. She had become the Dwarf. Now, which one was she?  
  
"Look, I don't have too much time, OK?" asked Amelia. "So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to send you home... where's your home?"  
  
"..." said the Demon, the question catching him out of balance.  
  
"Oh well, does the Astral Plane sound good enough for you?" she asked. And with another one of her smiles. She began to chant.  
  
"May the power of justice guide my path, may Love's own luck favor my mission. Let the evil doers who stand in my way begone and vanish, for nothing can stand the power of truth, love, and justice! Begone!" she shouted. For a minute, the Demon could have sworn seeing her dressed up in a pink super hero outfit. He would have thought about that, had it not been that just then, he felt himself pulled through planes and sealed in the Astral one.  
  
*****  
  
Gourry looked at the Dragon before him. They circled each other. They were on the ground, since well, the Dragon didn't think it was fair to fight a human in the air.  
  
"So, human, you think you can take me alone?" asked the Dragon. He changed phase and looked like a human. He was dressed in priestly clothes and held a dangerous looking pike in his hands.  
  
"Hey, you changed!" said Gourry, stating the obvious. The Dragon- turned-human raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes..." said he.  
  
"You know... just like ... that other Dragon dude from long time ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" said Gourry. "What was his name.... Mil... Mel... Melgy something." The dragon thought back. He knew that the human would not attack with out charging or giving a warning.  
  
"Um... you don't mean, Milgazia, do you?" asked the Dragon.  
  
"Something like that." said Gourry. He put down his sword and thought... "He wore white and had long blond hair."  
  
"Um,... we all do." said the dragon helpfully.  
  
"Oh... well, one of you!" said Gourry. "You know... I just thought about this, but Filia also transforms into a dragon!"  
  
"You know Filia, the Dragon Priestess?" asked the dragon.  
  
"Yeah! I think... blond hair, right?"  
  
"We all have blond hair." said the Dragon.  
  
"Oh, yeah... and she has a mace!" said Gourry. "Under her skirt!"  
  
The dragon started to wonder who in the world he was fighting. So far, the human knew one of their leaders and a priestess. Next thing you know, he'd say that he knew the Knight of Ceipheed.  
  
"Um... how would you know that Miss Filia has a mace under her skirt?" asked the dragon, not really sure he wanted to know.  
  
"She got mad at Xellos and she took it out!" said Gourry. Now, the dragon was puzzled. He knew that traitorous, dirty, horrible, filthy Mazoku?  
  
"And what is your name? You seem to know many people." said the Dragon. He really wasn't interested in fighting anymore. This conversation was getting quite interesting.  
  
"Oh, my name is Gourry Gabriev." said Gourry. He stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you!"  
  
"Veirwaz, a pleasure." said the dragon. They sat down. "Now, how do you know all these people?"  
  
"Well, I met them through my friend, Lina." said Gourry.  
  
"Lina? As in the legendary Lina Inverse?" asked Veirwaz.  
  
"Yeah! Her! Though I didn't know she was legendary. Is she really old? I would never have thought that. Of course, I did see her one day with white hair. Maybe she is old and dyes her hair.... hm... interesting." said Gourry, sounding quite serious.  
  
*****  
  
By the time Amelia had come down, Gourry and Veirwaz were talking like good friends.  
  
"Oh, I have to go." said Gourry. "It was fun talking to you!"  
  
"Same here!" said Veirwaz with a smile. He saw Amelia and bowed. "Sorry to have been rude earlier, Princess Amelia. I had no idea who you were." He smiled. "Well, I must be going."  
  
"Remember your promise." said Gourry.  
  
"Of course. I will try to take my battles elsewhere where there is no civilization." said Veirwaz "Dragon Scout's Honor!" And bowing to them once more, he vanished.  
  
"He was nice!" said Gourry.  
  
"Yes. It was nice of him to not fight anymore." said Amelia. She was still smiling, although her glow had diminished. "Let's go on our way." And they did.  
  
*****  
  
"You know, Xellos. I just had a great idea." said Lina.  
  
"Really?" asked Xellos, acting surprised.  
  
"Fruitcake, this is serious." said Lina with a smile.  
  
"Well, let's here it!" said Xellos.  
  
"Let's ask L-sama to go to the past and ask Albuntra about it!"  
  
"Sure!" said Xellos. "Sounds good. Let's go!"  
  
And the two vanished from their spot on their desk in the library.  
  
*****  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" shouted Zelas. The Demon winced.  
  
Madabar's eyes narrowed from the shadows. Another awake?  
  
Xerxes eyed Zelas. All his work for nothing. Now, to locate the next ones....  
  
Author's notes. Hi!!!!!!!!!!!! You know.... you are not reviewing!!!!!!! waaaaah.... I'm gonna cry, and cry, and cry and cry and inundate this whole place up and all the stories will be so soggy you won't be able to read them. ^^ OK, just kidding. Well, what do you think so far? You like it? (Say yes, pretty please?) So far, another dwarf has awoken and Lina and Xellos are doing some research. Guess who the next dwarf is! Well, I it would help if you knew the dwarves names, right? I've mentioned two names so far in the story. One was Zelgadis's. Remember his? I've named Amelia's also! *wink, wink* OK, and about this review thing... I'm gonna get serious. So quake in fear, all of you! ^^ OK, here goes. Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. Can I have five reviews please??????? Pleasies, pleasies, pleasies????  
  
And to those of you who do review, I really want to thank you. Everytime I look over them, I get so happy, and I squeal in delight! So thank you, all of you! Thank you for your encouragements/threats/jokes/promises to bake me cake (yummy!!!!!!!!! Arigato!)....^^ Well, take care! I'm so glad you enjoy this and read it. You guys make my day!!!!!! Arigato! Les quiero a todos! Matane!  
  
Hotaru 


	22. Muddled H2O

Slayers: To The End  
By the introverted and sneaky, Rebel Against Normalcy!  
AKA Hotaru Kimiko Lai  
  
Disclaimer  
I don't own Slayers. I think I've exhausted my supply of witty ones. I think you noticed this ten chapters or so ago... ^^  
  
Chapter 22  
Muddled H2O  
  
Gourry and Amelia continued on their journey. They would get there in about fifteen minutes or so. They sat in the carriage and thought. It had been weird. Amelia had suddenly found herself talking to Gourry while on the plain, the dragon and Mazoku nowhere in sight. One of the helpers had run up and asked them if they were all right. They said yes and asked why they shouldn't be. She, one of the white mages, had excitedly recounted the bravery of both Gourry and Amelia. How Amelia had evaded the Mazoku's attack and had succeeded and throwing the Mazoku into the Astral Plane. Then, another white mage came and praised Gourry's quick thinking. Amelia looked puzzled and pointed at Gourry. The mage quickly nodded and said yes. They spoke of how Gourry had used his wits and his intelligence to trick the Dragon into going away. Gourry had looked surprised, and wondered if they were really talking about him. After the mages assured them that they were telling the truth and not hallucinating, Amelia decided to leave it. Perhaps it had turned out like they were describing it. But Amelia honestly believed that she and Gourry had just been lucky and that they needed eye checks.  
  
"Mr. Gourry?" asked Amelia.  
  
"Yeah, Amelia?" asked Gourry. He was seeing ice cream and pieces of steak in the skies trying to look like innocent clouds. But he saw through their guise. After all, he was an expert on food masquerading as clouds.  
  
"Do you really think..." started Amelia before trailing off.  
  
"That the cloud looks like corn?" asked Gourry, oblivious to what Amelia was trying to say.  
  
"Um... no..." said Amelia. "About what the mages said."  
  
"Oh... what did they say?" asked Gourry. Amelia sighed. Sometimes, she wondered if asking Gourry about all this was really worth it. But then again, there was no one else to talk about it. Perhaps she could ask Lina about it. Ms. Lina would know all about it.  
  
"Oh, nothing important." said Amelia. "What are you seeing?"  
  
"That cloud, on top of the one that looks like a piece of bread, looks like a piece of fried chicken. And that one, looks like a ducky that is standing on top of a horse..."  
  
*****  
  
The Stream of Time. What do you imagine on seeing those words? Probably a calm but huge stream, slowly yet steadily moving onwards through eternity. Maybe a few ripples here and there, symbolizing dangers, or chaotic things happening. Maybe a Beginning where the Time Flow came from, and a far and distant bend where Time took a turn and was recycled and reused. Whatever it is, you're wrong. The Stream of Time was a little room. It had blue wallpaper on the sides with the design of water drops. And it had gold trim. But you couldn't really see the walls,... since the Books of History covered the walls, each in their shelves. Of to one side of the room, was a card catalogue, forever being updated. After all, time is always changing. There were a few comfy looking chairs in the middle of the room, surrounding a portal which looked like a bunch of gasoline on water. You know, with all those really nice colors swirling around in neat designs.  
  
And into this room, came in Lina and Xellos, Chaos Knights.  
  
"Um... nice place." said Lina. There were no lamps or candles, but there was light in the room that   
permitted you to see around you.  
  
"Yes, isn't it?" asked Xellos. They had asked L-sama for permission and she let them, warning them to not change the time, but they could observe it. Time traveled at the same pace here as outside this room. So, if they spent one day observing people, a day would pass in their own world.  
  
"Lot's of books." said Lina as she fingered some of them.  
  
"Yes," said Xellos.  
  
"With tiny print." said Lina as she thumbed through them.  
  
"Yes." said Xellos.  
  
"Stop confirming what I'm saying, Xellos." said Lina with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Yes." said Xellos. He grinned and jumped out of the way of her incoming elbow. Lina sighed, shook her head and went over to the card catalogue.  
  
"That looks big." said Lina. "What should we look up under? Albuntra, or Fairy Tales, or 7 Dwarves?"  
  
"Albuntra looks like the best choice," said Xellos. Lina nodded. It made lots of sense. Not that she hadn't known it, but she should include her helper, lest he feel ignored. She levitated slightly to reach the A's and took out the box which held the cards. Xellos thumbed through a few books here and there while Lina looked up Albuntra. After several minutes of playing around and hearing Lina sigh, stifle a scream and growl, he asked her.  
  
"Can't find him yet?"  
  
"It's not my fault!" said Lina. "Stupid thing keeps on changing!"  
  
"How?" asked Xellos. He tried to send her soothing thoughts so that she'd calm down. After all, a calm Lina was a Lina that would not fireball everything in sight.  
  
"Well, I'm looking up Albuntra, and all of a sudden, a bunch of cards are added, and some others are shifted and some vanish and basically, I can't make any progress!" said Lina. She wanted to throw down the cards so badly, but she didn't want to put all the cards in alphabetical order.  
  
"Well, that is too be expected." said Xellos. "After all, isn't the catalogue constantly updated?"  
  
"But can't they do it later?" asked Lina.  
  
"Nope." said Xellos. "Time is always flowing."  
  
"Oh, this is stupid." said Lina. She once more, began to search for the elusive card that seemed to escape her grasp by four cards or so. "Here, you start from the back, and I'll go from the front. Surely, the two of us can get that stupid card." So, Xellos helped out and a few minutes later, Xellos pulled out a card from the box.  
  
"Ah ha!" he said.  
  
"Good. Now, we have to find it." said Lina. She snatched the card and ran over to the bookcases, where she quickly found the book she was looking for. Xellos looked over her shoulder as she flipped through the pages. "Here it is! It says, we have to go to sector 521. 3, sub category 7."  
  
"OK!" said Xellos. He went over to the portal and taking a pencil from a desk, wrote out the number of where they wanted to go and threw it into the portal. Swirling letters appeared, and Xellos smiled. "Ne, Lina chan, let's go! The portal's ready!"  
  
"Coming!" said Lina. She put the book back and ran in. Xellos was about to follow her in, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around and then bowed to L-sama.  
  
*****  
  
Amelia was bored, again. They had made it to the city safely and she had been able to give her speech on Patriotism and Justice. The crowd had loved it. Now that that was done, she got to rest a bit. It was really boring. Normally, she would be making a new speech for the next town or city she was planning on visiting for her 'campaign'. But she could write on in less than fifteen minutes. So, she had all this free time. She really wanted to get out. She looked out the window. The skies were blue with a few clouds here and there. It was the type of day that made you want to throw open the windows and soar through the winds. But she was a Princess, and Princesses are nice and polite and lady like. If Zelgadis were here, she'd ask him to go out and sight see the city with her. But he wasn't here. He was trying to regulate Dragon and Demon activities. She wanted to do that too. Actually, what she really wanted to do know... was to beat up someone. She couldn't wait till she got to. And with a happy and joyful smile, Amelia fantasized about her next encounter with the Dragons and Demons.  
  
*****  
  
Zelgadis frowned. He wasn't sure where to go. He had intervened in a few fights, or at least, had tried to. It was hard to kick their butts when they kept on running away from him. He decided to change tactics. This was useless. He took his map out and made a few marks on it, tested the wind, measured the angle from the sun to the horizon and headed west.  
  
"Were are we going, Captain Stonewall?" asked one of the soldiers.  
  
"Change of plan." said Zelgadis. After this, he would find Lina and ask her about the Lord of Nightmares. He still wasn't sure if he could talk to her or not.  
  
*****  
  
Gourry was practicing with his sword in the back of the house they were staying at. The city had been nice enough to let them stay at a very nice little house.  
  
His sword swept through the air, seeming to slice it. Swoosh. Slice. There is another dead foe. He stopped and drank some cold juice that he had brought with him. He looked up at the sky. He wanted to do something. Something very interesting and fun. Like go with Lina and beat up another guy like that red shadow guy called Shabby something. That would be fun. He sighed and went back to practicing.  
  
*****  
  
Lina looked back. Xellos wasn't there. Which was odd. But she couldn't hang back and wait. She'd wait for him at the end of the tunnel. He didn't appear. She looked around him. She was among the villagers, but they couldn't see her. It was as if she were a roaming spirit among them. She tried to speak to a few people, but they passed right through her.  
  
"OK," she said to herself. "They can't touch me, they can't hear me." She walked around, hoping to see a hint of purple or some shadow stalking her or something around those lines. None.  
  
"OK, Xellos! Cut it out!" she shouted. No answer. "Come on, I know you're here somewhere! I can feel...." She tried to feel for him, and to her surprise, found that she couldn't. The only reason for this was that he was out of range. "Oh, stupid idiot. Just wait until I get my hands on you." And with that, she flew to the castle in the distance. Xellos had probably decided to race her without a warning.  
  
*****  
  
"OK," said Xellos. "So, I'm supposed to do that?"  
  
"Yes." said the Lord of Nightmares. "Are there any problems?"  
  
"Well... is there any specific way you want it done?" asked Xellos.  
  
"Do it as you wish. Just get it finished." said the Lord of Nightmares.  
  
"As you wish, my lordess." he said with a smile on his face. He bowed. L-sama hid a smile.  
  
"Go, and fulfill my wishes." He vanished.  
  
*****  
  
"I want to know why you are doing all of this." said Xerxes as he sat across from where his 'sister' was. Although he wasn't exactly Zelas's brother, they were close.  
  
"Because." said Zelas. She took a sip of Zephyrian wine. "Um... delicious."  
  
"Yes, wonderful." said Xerxes in a dismissing manner. "But why? Why send demons to go and attack cities?"  
  
"It's called a distraction." said Zelas. "I thought you might have figured it out by now."  
  
"But why?" asked Xerxes again.  
  
"You know, Xellos never asked." said Zelas. "He was obedient and he did everything with style while following my orders. He knew what was happening and had no need for questions."  
  
"I'm not Xellos." said Xerxes. "I know I used to be, but we're split now, and that stupid Mazoku took some of my power."  
  
"Yeah. Sly. So like him." said Zelas. Another sip. "You know, this wine was from the year he was born."  
  
"Ugh." said Xerxes. He put his goblet down. "I'm surprised it hasn't rotted away or something."  
  
"I have ways of preserving my wines." said Zelas.  
  
"So, will you tell me?"  
  
"Well,... you know the stupid Dragons have that silly scroll. What was it called again?... the Scroll of Rabula, they call it. It's prophecy is coming true, although they don't know how. I myself don't know, because it was guarded by the Ceipheed Knight for many years. I couldn't get close to it. Anyway, meditation and walking around with silly white robes and doing ceremonies in smoky rooms have rotted their brain. They think it's time to attack us when we are weak. So, I sent out distractions. It tests the will of the Dragons. After all, they are traveling far and wide to make sure the prophecy comes to be, but my distractions stop them. They ask themselves, should they protect the weak humans, or go and set the prophecy in motion? If they ignore the humans, the humans will resent it and fight them also. If they help, they succeed in slowing the prophecy. And that gives me time to figure it out. Understood?"  
  
"OK." said Xerxes. "Nice plan. Except for a few things. You do know that your random attacks that are striking many places are waking up the ones in the other prophecy, right? You remember it, don't you? The one we spent quite a bit of time to hide?"  
  
"True." said Zelas. "But, they are seven random people. What are the chances that my attacks will wake up all the Dwarfs? You're smart, do the math."  
  
"Well, I must admit the chances are extremely slim, but so far, we know of two that have appeared." said Xerxes.  
  
"Two are nothing against me." said Zelas with a cruel smile.  
  
"Anyway, another thing. How exactly are you planning on finding out what the Rabula Scroll says?" asked Xerxes.  
  
"Now that is a very simple matter." she said. "Open your senses. Where will my demons attack   
next?" Xerxes closed his eyes for a while as he concentrated. Then he opened them, surprise in his eyes.  
  
"You do know that you sent them on a suicide mission, right?" he asked.  
  
Zelas smiled. "But... it's a nice little distraction. Besides, there are more from where they came from."  
  
*****  
  
Xellos phased into the room. It was lunch time in Seyruun.  
  
"Hello!" he said cheerfully to them. Well, he appeared right behind Filia, causing her to give a little jump, turn and glare at him, and then have her trustworthy mace fly out to embed itself in Xellos's face.  
  
"You... you NANAGOMI!" she screamed. "How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that!" She hit his head with her mace again.  
  
"Ouch." said Xellos as he savored the pain. "Nice... very nice. You've gotten stronger, Filia chan! Lina chan gets so angry at times, but she doesn't hit me with a mace..." He fingered her forearm and nodded appreciatively.  
  
"Developing muscles, are we? Don't do too much, or else you'll get bulky and you won't look as nice!" He grinned and winked at her.  
  
"Why... you!!! Don't touch me!" shouted Filia. She chased him around the room while Sylphiel laughed gently behind her hand. Those two were so amusing! They were such great friends! The guards looked on, very glad for the entertainment that Filia and Xellos were providing. "Sylphiel! Don't just sit there. Help me catch him!" Sylphiel thought for a little while, and then smiled. She had a good memory and though some people thought her slightly slow, she was great on judging relationships.  
  
"Oh,.. Filia, Xellos. Stop flirting, you two." she said sweetly. "Xellos, you really should stop flirting with Filia. You know what Lina thinks of you having flings with other girls. And besides, you're encouraging Filia. How do you think Lina will take this when she finds out?" It had the desired effect on Xellos. He froze and looked at her with an amazed look.  
  
"Never thought you'd have it in you." said Xellos as he stopped temporarily. "And besides, you're right. My dear Lina chan would throw a fit. How... tempting." Before he could start teasing once more, Filia reached him and stuck him in a headlock and tried to break his neck while speaking.  
  
"Sylphiel!" she said. "You know very well that I detest this nanagomi and that I would rather flirt with a stone than with this freak of nature!"  
  
"Good idea, Filia chan!" said Xellos even though his neck was in an extremely unusual position. "A rock wouldn't be scared by your looks. Well, I don't know... it might crack...."  
  
"You are impossible!" shouted Filia. She banged him against the wall. "Take that! And that! And that! Die!" Xellos smiled.  
  
A few minutes later, they had calmed down a bit. Filia was still flushed and she hastily fixed her hair. Sylphiel smiled and hid her laugh. Xellos just grinned like an idiot. That had been a delicious snack. It had been too long since he had such a delightful annoyance directed at him. Well,... he enjoyed Lina's anger just as much, although he was realizing that drinking in her thoughts concerning him where just as gratifying even though there was no annoyance or anger. All there was was a sort of contentment and delight. It was the feeling one got when drinking hot chocolate and marshmallows with a dash of cinnamon during a cold snowstorm. It gave him a... warm and fuzzy feeling... although had he felt this when he was a Mazoku, he'd be throwing up. And her anger was like eating a spicy dish of meat and tomatoes with fried egg and rice. That warned him up too. But Filia's... everyone's emotions and feelings had a certain taste to it... Filia's was like a glass of cold lemonade on a warm day. Yeah, call him weird, but he had favorite 'dishes', just like everyone else.  
  
"So, Filia, Sylphiel... what were you two planning on doing the rest of the day?"  
  
"No, we don't have anything planned, Xellos." said Sylphiel softly. "We finished training, and we have had no communication from other villages requesting reinforcements."  
  
"So, basically, you have nothing else to do?" asked Xellos.  
  
"We don't," said Sylphiel.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Xellos.  
  
"What part of 'We don't' do you not get?" asked Filia, slightly annoyed.  
  
"Ah... good. I wanted to make sure." said Xellos. "I have a small job that you girls might be interested in."  
  
"As if." said Filia. But he could tell that she was very interested.  
  
"Well... I can only tell you if you two trust in me." said Xellos.  
  
"Of course we do, Mr. Xellos." said Sylphiel.  
  
"Do you?" asked Xellos as he looked at Filia squarely in the eyes. Filia found herself looking into brilliant amethyst eyes.  
  
"Well... I guess so." said Filia. She turned her eyes away from him.  
  
"Then remember that." said Xellos. He winked at them and then, Filia found herself standing   
against a wall in a very familiar looking room.  
  
"What..." she started to say before a gloved hand covered her mouth.  
  
"Be quiet!" whispered Xellos harshly. Filia turned around to glare at him. Beside him, he saw Sylphiel standing worriedly.  
  
"OK,.." whispered Filia. "Now... care to tell us what is happening?"  
  
"You are temporarily on a mission from L-sama." said Xellos. "Aren't you proud?" He would have said more except footsteps were being heard. Hurriedly, Xellos pushed them into the wall's shadows and he blended into another set of shadows. A Dragon Guard walked by. After he had left, Xellos walked to where Filia and Sylphiel were.  
  
"Dampen down your magical auras," he said. "And find the Scroll of Rabula."  
  
"Huh?" asked Filia.  
  
"What is that?" asked Sylphiel.  
  
"Supposedly, it predicts the triumph of the dragons over the demons." said Xellos with a smile. "But then again, dragons were never too smart. You should know that, Filia." Filia would have brained him and punted him into the wall had it not been for the fact that another set of footsteps were heard. Once more, they hid. After this Dragon Guard left, Xellos continued. "Anyway. Complications have come up. You're mission: grab the scroll and then get out of here. As soon as you're out of here, call me and I'll come. Don't, under no circumstances must you open the scroll."  
  
"Why not?" asked Filia. "Surely if it's so important, then we should know about it."  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. "Anyway, don't open it. Remember, you guys said you trust me. If   
you don't, speak up now."  
  
"I'll trust you, nanagomi." said Filia. "I take it that we're in the Central Temple of the Golden Dragons?"  
  
"My, my, Filia. You're so smart!" said Xellos. "Yes you are. Now go. And remember..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." said Filia dismissively. "Get the scroll, don't open it and get out of here. Anything else, oh fearless leader?"  
  
"That's Lina chan's title, you know." said Xellos with a smile. "Nope. Oh, and Filia chan. Try to remember that it is a secret mission. And try not to cause too much of an uproar. Good luck, Filia chan, Sylphiel." He vanished.  
  
"OK." said Filia. She turned towards Sylphiel. "It's our turn to play heroes, Sylphiel. You ready?"  
  
"I guess." said Sylphiel. "So, what do we do now?"  
  
"I dunno." shrugged Filia. "OK, I'm a dragon priestess. You're a priestess. We'll force our way in if   
we have to, but I'll not let Xellos get the satisfaction of us being beaten! Let's go!" Filia started to march off in one direction. Sylphiel sighed and picked up the purple envelope that was on the floor. She read it. She smiled. She hurriedly ran after Filia.  
  
"Filia!" she whispered to her, remembering Xellos's orders to be quiet and secretive.  
  
*****  
  
Lina made it to the castle slightly out of breath. She frowned as she realized that she couldn't find Xellos anywhere. She was about to scream in anger, until she saw someone going out the castle. Surprised, she followed the figure. Was it just her imagination, or did the figure actually have ruby red hair? As she ran after the figure, she realized that she was trailing the Princess.  
  
'What a stroke of luck!' she thought to herself. Well, if Xellos wasn't around, she'd do the mission   
and figure out what was happening with the Princess.  
  
The Princess looked around herself as she slowed down and stopped at a nice and very pretty house with a trimmed lawn and pretty flowers. Lina looked perplexedly. This was the place where Albuntra's home used to be. It was so changed... She wondered what time it was here... was it perhaps a year or so after she was here? Oh well... time to check. She followed the Princess in, passing right through a closed door. Inside, she listened and watched.  
  
"Albuntra!" shouted Princess.  
  
"In here!" shouted back a voice from upstairs. The Princess smiled, put her coat on a chair and ran upstairs. With a start, Lina realized the change of clothes in the Princess. Gone were the really showy gowns she had before, replaced by simple finery in happy colors.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked as she ran up. "I told you yesterday that Father and Mother wanted to meet with you to discuss your next project." She opened a door. It looked like a bedroom. There was a desk and that's where Albuntra sat. Lina was happy to see him so calm and controlled and content while writing.  
  
"I'm sorry. I got this really great idea and I had to write it down before I forgot." he said. The Princess sighed, bopped him on the head and sat beside him.  
  
"So, what's this one about?" she asked as she read over his shoulder. "Father and Mother really enjoyed your collection of short stories."  
  
"I'm glad." said Albuntra. "You know, it's nice to be a writer with the king and queen's full support, you know."  
  
"Of course!" said Lina, the Princess. "I told you it was a good idea to marry me."  
  
"How could I forget." said Albuntra with a smile. "Anyway, this is a story dedicated to Fire."  
  
"To me?" she asked. Her eyes twinkled.  
  
"Well, not exactly, although you are a very fiery young lady." said Albuntra. "You remember that prophecy I wrote some time back that your father has safe guarded?"  
  
"Oh yeah... you mean the Fire in the Prophecy?" she asked. "But, how do you know it'll get to her?"  
  
"Well, I'm a part time prophet. If L-sama wishes her to get it, then she will." said Albuntra. "Besides it has important information that Fire will probably want."  
  
"Sounds good." said Lina. "So, do you want us to put it with the prophecy so that they are kept together?"  
  
"No." said Albuntra. "You see, I have no guarantee that Fire will get this."  
  
"But there is no guarantee that Fire will get your prophecy." said Lina.  
  
"No, the prophecy I know she has." said Albuntra with a smile. "This one, to be sure that it is handed down and never forgotten, will first become a children's tale."  
  
"Oh! A story for children!" said Lina.  
  
Meanwhile, Lina Inverse smiled. So, Albuntra had meant it as a hint. Now, to find out the actual names. She appeared in the Time Stream and went forward a few months to find out what the names were.  
  
End of Chapter 22  
  
Hey! Wow, I can't believe it... you guys reviewed! Hurrah! Yoohoo! Victory! Thank you so much! I'm so happy! So, here's the next installment of the fic. I hope you liked it. I was itching to write a Xellos and Filia scene, but had no idea to fit it in. I'm quite proud to say that this scene turned out quite well. I had so much fun writing it! Anyway, a note... the meat dish is called a churrasco. It's really, really, really good! And it can have fries also. It's soooooooooooooooooo good! OK, so, hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a review please. Comments and Criticism are, as always, extremely welcome. Thank you for being such great readers and reviewers. You all deserve a huge hug! Thanks, guys, for everything!  
  
Sincerely,  
Hotaru  
  
If you have built castles in the air, Your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. -Henry David Thoreau  
  
Be not simply good; be good for something. -Henry David Thoreau 


	23. Information is Worth Its Weight in Gold

Slayers: To the End... By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek  
  
Disclaimer... Hello! Slayers isn't mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for an indefinite period of time. Yeah... that. ^^  
  
Chapter 23 Information is Worth Its Weight in Gold...  
  
Madabar pondered over her problem. She was getting worried. For one, she couldn't feel Lina's presence nor could she find her. She had a few lesser Mazoku here and there keeping an eye on her. They hadn't seen where Lina had gone. Amateurs. That's what she got for not heeding Zelas's advice. But there was no use crying over it. As soon as Lina Inverse appeared once more, she'd have her dreams toyed with again.  
  
Madabar had a simple point of view. The success of someone was partly due to how they saw themselves. If they were confident in themselves, then they had a slightly greater chance of being able to pull it off. But if they doubted, either themselves or the steps they were taking, then that person would falter, and success wasn't as sure. That said,...  
  
Another thing that boosted a leader's self esteem was their followers. If their followers doubted them, or, even better yet, were missing or dead... that decreased the support for the opposing team. Man, she was really good at this stuff! Her eyes twinkled as they thought of many things... mainly about someone's amethyst eyes.  
  
*****  
  
Zephyria was under attack. That was a very surprising thing to happen. After all, Zephyria... well, it was Zephyria! No one wanted to attack it and try to turn it into a small crater in the ground. After all, that's where the most delicious, luscious, and wonderful wine was made! Who would want to destroy the world's best and largest winepresses, wine makers included! If anyone wanted Zephyria, they tried to take over it peacefully, making sure that no vineyards were harmed in the process. It was common sense after all. The second reason why no one dared attack Zephyria was that there was a cafe in there, rumored to have a very important waitress that hated anything that disrupted her daily work routine.  
  
The people of Zephyria looked up as they tried to get out of the way of the Mazoku's attacks. They didn't seem too worried though. They were just getting out of the way for when SHE appeared. A few of the younger and dumber Mazoku were having a blast destroying the city square. This was their first mission, and they were enjoying themselves terribly. Until, of course, someone cleared their throat behind them. Slowly, they turned around and eyed the lone human standing before them, tapping their foot impatiently.  
  
"Look. A human." said one of them.  
  
"How,... interesting." said the other one, trying to sound experienced in the field of destroying towns and generating uproar and death. They obviously weren't, since they didn't recognize who stood before them.  
  
Their conversation was supposed to strike fear in the hearts of humans. Obviously, this human was a little on the slow side, as it didn't even move. The figure cleared its throat.  
  
"You do know where you are now, don't you?" asked the female voice. It was deathly calm. A very still and monotonous voice, they thought. She was wearing a skirt, with an apron over it.  
  
"We're not daft, human." said one of them.  
  
"Perhaps you have no idea where you are?" asked the other, making fun of her. The two laughed at the puny and seemingly harmless human before them.  
  
"I think you probably don't know." There was some sort of little hat on her head.  
  
"Of course we do. This is Zephyria." said the Mazoku.  
  
"Ah, so you are not as stupid as you look." said the female voice quietly. She had a pretty well proportioned body. A very nice body.  
  
The Mazoku weren't quite sure how to respond to her. So they tried their best to look fearsome and deadly.  
  
"I wouldn't go about insulting others, little girl." said one.  
  
"Well, how about practicing what you preach?" asked the girl with ice in her voice. She started to walk slowly and purposefully towards them.  
  
The Mazoku nudged each other and prepared to have fun.  
  
"Would you like to know my name before you die?" she asked seriously.  
  
"Well, we most certainly would like to know who we're going to kill, if you don't mind that." said the Mazoku.  
  
"Oh, don't worry." said the girl. "I'm more than glad to say who I am, but I'm quite afraid that it's you who'll do the dying, sir." She smirked, the corner of her mouth turning up.  
  
"So, who are you?" asked the Mazoku. He prepared to blast her.  
  
"Luna Inverse." she said lightly, as if it were just another name of an average girl who lived there. "You two, can call me by my title though. I'm the Knight of Ceipheed. Sorry, I can't say that it has been a pleasure meeting you." And the Mazoku paled and tried to run. But it was dreadfully too late. And Luna hated it when people interrupted her schedule.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Filia and Sylphiel were sneaking around the Central Temple of the Golden Dragons, deep within the mountains. They tiptoed from hall to hall, fleet on their feet and as silent as mice. Sylphiel was pretty good at it. She did that the whole time. Filia... was having a few problems...  
  
"This is so annoying." muttered Filia as she ran in front of Sylphiel. "Stupid nanagomi, just dropping us here...." A hand covered her mouth and she was pulled behind a door. Beside her, Sylphiel made motions of being quiet and to calm down. Filia would normally have asked why and exploded, but she was used to Sylphiel. Besides, Sylphiel only covered her mouth when she heard someone coming. It took something quite important to get Sylphiel to do something drastic, so if she thought it was important to yank someone, then she would.  
  
And sure enough, a few seconds later, a pair of dragon priests passed them.  
  
Filia mouthed a thanks at Sylphiel and then the two started to follow the priests in case they were going to were the scroll was usually found.  
  
This time, Filia yanked Sylphiel back as she felt the presence of an Elder Priest. They hid and then they followed him instead of the other two. Filia knew her dragon lore. Only the Most High could see the scroll. This guy could lead them the Sacred Room.  
  
After a few minutes, they decided that the old man was crazy. All he did was walk around in circles and grinning foolishly.  
  
"He reminds me of Xellos." whispered Filia softly to Sylphiel. She stifled a giggle. She then pointed. Filia looked from a table they were hiding behind. The old man suddenly looked about him and seeing no one, pressed part of the granite carvings, and a secret door opened beside him. He entered and the two girls quickly followed him before the door shut on him.  
  
*****  
  
Lina muttered to herself as she traveled the Time tunnel to get to her destination, one year later. As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to get worried about Xellos. Not that he needed anyone to worry about, but well.... she just couldn't help it!  
  
'Concentrate, Inverse.' thought Lina to herself. She saw the opening. 'Think clearly. Finish your mission. Kill the fruitcake later.' She stepped out.  
  
Lina looked around her. She recognized this place. The palace was west of here. So, that meant Albuntra's house was north. So she flew there. After various turns, she arrived. To her surprise, although the house was there, it didn't look very neat or clean. The part of Lina that had kept house for a few years sighed. It was so messy. It would take years to clean up all that dust. The part of Lina that was a mercenary noted that there seemed to be nothing of value in there. The part of Lina that was Chaos Knight noticed that Albuntra didn't live there anymore. That puzzled her. He had been living here a year ago. She checked a paper she had. It was right. This was the right time line, the right time frame and all that. She went into the house.  
  
There were white drapes over all the furniture to protect them from dust. The bookshelves were empty. The room were empty also. Lina shivered. It was like a ghost house. Lina frowned and left, making tracks to go to the castle. A flash of red caught her eye. Seeing the Princess, Lina began to follow her. They turned east and traveled a few blocks, passing by some stores. Then, the princess stopped before a nice white house, which was bigger. Lina smiled. Of course, they probably changed houses... right? Probably. But the sad look on the princess's face worried her. Had they gotten in a fight? Was he sick? Lina went into the house. It looked nice. And very calm. And neat. One thing she noted... everything was bolted shut. With a bit of trepidation, she mounted the stairs to see where Albuntra was.  
  
*****  
  
The passage was dark. There were a few torches here and there, but they were few and far in between. Sylphiel and Filia held hands to make sure that they didn't get lost. They didn't dare speak, for if they did, then the resounding echoes would blow their cover. The Priest before them hurried on, his footsteps seeming louder than they should be. The Priest finally made it to the end of the tunnel and opened a door at the end with a key he had. The two slipped in after him before the door closed.  
  
Once inside, they realized that the Priest was still smiling. Sylphiel nudged and pointed that to Filia. Filia nodded and pursed her lips. Although she had been gone for some time from here, she knew a bit about customs around here. Mainly, the scroll is sacred. Treat is as such. The Priest took the scroll from the pedestal it sat on.  
  
'Truth be told,' thought Filia. 'This guy looks... half demented...'  
  
"Filia." whispered Sylphiel very softly. "I think... I don't know... but I think he's not supposed to take it with him." Filia looked at him with a start. The Priest was starting to walk to the door and would pass them soon, the scroll sticking out of a pocket.  
  
"I don't know about you... but I think the guy's some sort of crook." said Sylphiel softly. Her purple eyes stared at the guy intently. Filia nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the light, surprising him.  
  
*****  
  
Lina looked into the room, surprised at what she saw. The room was thickly carpeted and the walls were padded so that if you fell against the wall, you wouldn't be hurt. The furniture was glued to the floor... and Albuntra sat at his desk with a silly smile on his face as his quill scratched out something on a piece of parchment. Lina tried not to stare at the chains that had Albuntra tied to the chair.  
  
"Albuntra!" said a voice from downstairs. "It's me! I'm coming up!" A sound of footsteps ensued and finally, the Princess entered the room. Lina stood in a corner, watching the proceedings. "How are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Hi." he said. He looked up at her and put his quill down. "Who are you?" Lina saw a look of pain cross her eyes before it vanished and was replaced by a smile.  
  
"I'm your wife and a Princess." she said brightly.  
  
"Does that make me a Prince?" he asked.  
  
"Yup!" she said.  
  
"Oh." he said. He looked at her. "So I do know you?"  
  
"Yes. But you always forget later, so don't worry about it." said the Princess. She sat down beside him. "What are you writing?"  
  
"A story!" he said. He giggled and laughed.  
  
"The one about dwarves?" she asked kindly.  
  
"How did you know about it?" he asked, worry and suspicion creeping into his eyes. "I know! You're one a spy, right!!!? I know it! How else would you know about my story!"  
  
"No, I'm not a spy." said the Princess as if she had gone through this for a long time and was half used to it.  
  
"They all say that!" said Albuntra. He tried to get up and then looked at his chains. "You put these on me also!"  
  
"No, I didn't." said the Princess. She sat beside him and took one of his hands and absentmindedly began to stroke and massage his hand. "Sit down, Albuntra. Let me explain." He looked at her and sat down.  
  
Lina bit her lip while she watched the scene unfold before her. She was amazed at the strength the Princess was showing. Who knows what she would have done... how she would have handled it... She blinked back a tear. She wanted to leave, but before she did, she ran over to the manuscript to see if she could get the information she needed. With a sigh, she realized that he hadn't finished it yet. She'd have to visit them again.  
  
*****  
  
"Stop right there!"  
  
Filia's words echoed in the cavern. She had a stern look on her face as she glared at the other man before her.  
  
"And who are you?" asked the man.  
  
"I should be asking that of you." said Filia contemptuously, as she looked at him. She hid the fear and nervousness she was feeling at the present moment.  
  
"You don't seem to belong here." he said. "After all, only the Most High can come in here. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, you aren't the Most High either." said Filia. "So put that scroll back!" She lunged for the scroll in his pocket, but he stepped out of the way and turned, keeping one hand near the scroll to protect it.  
  
"Don't think so." he said. He turned and ran for the door, but someone flew at him and tackled him to the ground just as he was about to reach the door. Filia turned and narrowed her eyes as she saw a golden light fill her vision.  
  
*****  
  
Lina sighed. This wasn't the year either. From what she saw, he wasn't writing much. Which meant that the dwarf book wasn't finished yet. How long does it take to right a silly book!!!! She entered the Time Tunnel again and tried the next year. Hopefully, he would start writing again... sometime soon. She was getting more and more depressed as she traveled.  
  
*****  
  
Sylphiel was scared. She was very, very scared, and had no idea what in the world had possessed her to leap out at the man and tackle him to the ground. She had just been there, in the shadows, seeing what Filia would do. She knew that the man wasn't the Priest guy. Xellos had left a note, stating that the priest wasn't in because he had left to attend a meeting. She also knew that the guy wasn't supposed to take the scroll. And she also knew that if the guy left with the scroll, they would loose both him and the scroll, and some important part of the puzzle would be lost and then that would cause more problems for everyone. So she leapt at him and hit his head with her small staff, which happened to have quite a nice and big crystal. Of course, since she didn't have much experience doing this, she missed and hit his shoulder, and they fell down.  
  
Sylphiel panicked. And she did the only thing she was good at apart from casting Dragon Slaves. She screamed and hit whatever with her stick, hoping that one of them would hit his head and knock him out. Or something like that. She didn't notice the light around her. Sure, Sylphiel was usually a quiet and mousy type of girl, but when the time called for it, she had learned to scream and hit like a pro.  
  
Filia watched with amazement. She was very surprised. Number one,... the guy seemed to be loosing. Two, Sylphiel had jumped at him. Three, she was screaming and yelling like crazy while hitting him repeatedly with her small staff. To be more precise,... she was yelling... "Stop moving or I'll hit you harder!" And finally... she was glowing with a yellowish golden light.  
  
"Hey, Sylphiel, I think you got him." said Filia when she noticed that the man had stopped moving. She touched her shoulder and Sylphiel looked up. She looked down. She blushed. She quickly got up and ran to the wall. "Don't worry, Sylphiel. You did a great job on him. I'm sure Gourry and the others will be very proud of you." She grabbed the scroll and hid it in her clothes. Sylphiel blushed even stronger and Filia had to smile. It was nice to know that even Sylphiel was prone to having small bouts of violence and insanity. Well, in reality, it made you feel nervous. "Let's go." Sylphiel nodded and then stared at the man. She walked over to him and waved her staff on him. She muttered a few words and then hit him quite strongly on the head.  
  
"Forget." she said. Then she followed Filia out.  
  
"You know..." said Filia. "That was smart."  
  
"Thanks... " said Sylphiel softly. She had stopped glowing and was behaving meekly as usual.  
  
"I mean,... if the spell doesn't work to erase his memory, the hit to his head sure will do it!" said Filia. And Sylphiel coughed discreetly and smiled nervously. The two left.  
  
*****  
  
Lina looked about her. This was the seventh try. She checked every few months to see if there was anything new. She only needed to know the names, after all... This was a few years later. She once again entered the house and looked at the manuscript. She blocked out the conversations they were having. He seemed to be getting better, and the Princess visited him every day. The visits seemed to do him some good, but he was still a little... off. For the seventh time, she wished that she could flip the pages, but she wasn't really there, and couldn't touch anything, just like they couldn't touch her. So she had to wait for Albuntra to say them or write them and hope that she was in the right place. Nope... but he was getting closer... She settled down and waited. Albuntra rambled on and on about the story while the Princess smiled and nodded. She was about to doze off, when the word "names" caught her attention. She woke up and listened alertly. And she smiled. Such.... silly names... just like his prophecy.  
  
*****  
  
Filia and Sylphiel tried to walk calmly as they got out of the tunnel. They were almost out. Just a bit more, and then they could call Xellos and leave and this stupid mission would be over with. Just then, a troop of dragon guards ran into the hall. The leader stopped and looked at them.  
  
"Dragon priestess." said the leader. "Have you heard anything around here?" Filia silently wiped her forehead. Obviously, the people thought she was a priestess. Good.  
  
"No, I am afraid I haven't." said Filia.  
  
"And you, young scribe?" asked the leader to Sylphiel. Sylphiel curtsied lightly.  
  
"I am sorry, but I haven't heard anything either." she said.  
  
"What happened?" asked Filia.  
  
"We heard some screaming and the alarms guarding the Ancient Scroll have been sounded." said the leader.  
  
"Oh, that is horrible!" said Filia. "If we see anything we shall most surely tell you." She led Sylphiel out of the way and the guards ran down the corridor. As soon as the guards where gone, the two girls looked at each other and then ran for it, hoping that the guards wouldn't be back.  
  
They ran into another group of dragons.  
  
"What's going on here?" asked one of them.  
  
"Oh, we're very sorry." said Filia, as she bowed her head, and hoped that they wouldn't be recognized. "We have been summoned and are trying to get there." She then ran passed them, Sylphiel trailing behind them. As Filia and Sylphiel rounded the corner, they heard someone shout.  
  
"Hey! I recognize her... She's..!" They ran even faster. They finally passed the magic barrier that was surrounding the center of the temple. And with a loud telepathic scream, she called for Xellos.  
  
'Xellos!!!!! Get your scrawny little butt over here now!!!!!'  
  
*****  
  
Lina sighed. It was over. She knew the names, and she was glad that she wouldn't have to go here for a long time. She took one last look at them and wished them the best, even though she knew they didn't hear her. While in the Time Tunnel, she thought and changed her course. She arrived in the castle, a few years later. Looking around her, she flew over to where the asylum for Albuntra was. She entered, looked and smiled. With that, she left and went back home. It was about time to kick some Mazoku butt for leaving her all alone. As she changed course to go home she felt a presence and turned. On seeing the golden eyes of L-sama, she bowed.  
  
"Were you able to find what you wished?" asked L-sama. She was in a serious mood.  
  
"Yes, Lord of Nightmares." she said.  
  
"I am glad." said the deity. "This is my next mission for you." Lina nodded and bowed once more. L-sama handed her a plain and nondescript manila envelope, with the words 'CONFIDENTIAL' written across it in red curly handwriting. This really changed her plans, but what L-sama willed, Lina Inverse did. And if you didn't like it,... well... too bad for you. Get over it.  
  
*****  
  
The Temple was close to shambles. Xellos had immediately appeared before Filia and Sylphiel, bidding them good day. Filia had been startled and took out her mace and whammed it into his face, screaming, "NANAGOMI!" Needless to say, her scream had carried across the corridors and halls, and immediately there were a quiet a few dragon guards surrounding them.  
  
"I demand you to let the two fair maidens go!" shouted someone. Filia recognized him as the one who had thought she was a priestess.  
  
"But she's Filia!" said another voice. Filia also recognized that voice belonging to the second group they had run into.  
  
"The traitor?" some asked.  
  
"I am not a traitor!" she shouted. No one paid attention to her.  
  
"And look! She has formed an allegiance with the Mazoku!" shouted another one.  
  
"I did not!" she shouted.  
  
"Yes she did!" said Xellos cheerfully. "Now, if you'll let us go, we have other more important things to do, Filia and I." He looked suggestively at Filia and kissed her cheek. "Right... my little dragon?"  
  
"You... you... you.... NANAGOMI!" she screamed, her face bright pink.  
  
"Oh my....." said Sylphiel. Xellos smiled. He was definitely enjoying this. First there was Filia's anger and embarrassment. Then, there were the guard's amazement. Yummy, yummy, yummy... he should do this more often.  
  
"Now, now, Filia chan!" said Xellos. "No need to be so upset. They would have figured it out sooner or later."  
  
"You little lying, incorrigible, horrible, filthy, disgusting little...." started Filia as she wound up to hit him with her mace.  
  
"...partner?" he finished for her. She screamed, threw her mace at his face and then pounded him into the floor. Around her, the other dragons began wishing that they hadn't come here.  
  
"And you!" she shouted as she glared at the hoards of dragons around her. "Get out of here before I hit you also!" Her eyes glowed and her hair floated slightly about her. There was a whispered conference from the guards.  
  
"They are only three."  
  
"Yeah... Two now, since the blond lady hit the purple haired guy."  
  
"You idiots! If she can defeat a Mazoku, don't you think she can defeat us also?"  
  
"But they are only two women! We are many men!"  
  
"Well... if you're sure."  
  
"Let's do it!"  
  
"Are you all finished yet?" asked Filia sharply. This was just too much. Xellos was making faces at her, and Sylphiel was sitting down on a nearby chair and politely waiting for something to happen. Filia had the strange sensation that Sylphiel was waiting for someone to fight so that it'd give her another reason to snap... And then, the stupid dragons were spending forever talking.  
  
"We have decided to attack you." said the leader of the dragons. He noticed with trepidation that the insane glare in Filia's eyes was increasing. Xellos stopped making faces as a golden glow filled the whole place, with Filia at its center. And she exploded.  
  
A few minutes later...  
  
"Well, Filia.... I must congratulate you." said Xellos. He looked at her through half-veiled eyes. "You would have made a great Mazoku. Have you ever thought of joining the Mazoku? It's not that hard. There are quite a few ways. One of the most favorable one is to kill you and then resurrect you. The other, is of course, forming a bond with another mazoku... like with me!" He grinned.  
  
"Shut up." said Filia as she looked at the area that was blasted to smithereens about her. Sylphiel smiled from her chair. The area around her suffered absolutely no damage. The chair was intact, and some of the floor tiles surrounded her, forming a perfect circle with her at its center. Xellos watched both of them. This was... odd. He would have to have a chat with his boss concerning changes in plans and all that. And the sun set.  
  
*****  
  
It was night. Everyone was sleeping. Zelgadis had made sure of it. Through out the whole day, he had been curious. He really wanted to try this out. But in case he failed, everyone was snoring and sleeping. No one would watch his humiliation if it didn't work. Which was why he had waited all day long. He stood a distance from the camp and concentrated. He knew very little about Chaotic magic. That had been Lina's... area of interest. So he had no idea what to expect. So, he just did it the simple way. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He mentally called for L-sama. He had done it once, but that was a mistake. Now, he wanted to ask her a few things. His brows furrowed as he tried, but all in vain.  
  
He finally opened his eyes. This was harder than what he thought it'd be. Of course, he wasn't even sure what he was expecting in the first place.  
  
"That was stupid." he said softly to himself. He wiped the sweat off his brow and went back to the camp to keep an eye on things until his watch was over. He sat down on a log, his hands resting on a piece of paper on it that wasn't there before. Curiously, he took the note and read it.  
  
'Go to Sleep', it said. Zelgadis eyed the note suspiciously. He went and woke one of the guys up and told him to keep watch, since it was their turn already. With that, Zelgadis set a shield around the watch, and did what the note said. He went to sleep. Who knows what happened. Who knows what he dreamed. But his lips turned up at the covers, and when he woke up in the morning, he wasn't in a grouchy mood. In fact, rumors around camp said that the Captain was actually glowing. But of course, rumors are rumors. Nobody paid too much attention to it.  
  
*****  
  
Lina dropped into his room, dropped the list of names and a note on his pillow and left in a blinding flash. She had to move quickly and she wanted this to go well.  
  
Xellos entered it a few hours later, having been hammered and screamed at for almost two hours. He wouldn't admit it, but he was quite tired and worn out. He hadn't felt this full in years. Perhaps if he embarrassed Lina like this,... yeah... that'd be fun. He fell on his bed and a paper hit his cheek. He saw the papers read them and raised an eyebrow. My,... that was... interesting...  
  
Author's Notes Hi!!! Sorry it took me so long to update. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Forgive me!!!! ^^ Anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you once more to all of you who keep on supporting and encouraging me as I write. Thank you! Arigato! You guys are wonderful! So, tell me what you think, whether it be good or bad. I extremely appreciate your comments as they inspire me to write as best I can. Thanx! Take care, all of you!  
  
Hotaru  
  
Sorry, no quotes this time... except for one of my own....  
  
"Everyone needs something to be obssesive about." -me 


	24. Dwarf Power!

Slayers: To The End  
Escrita por Hotaru!  
  
Disclaimer:  
I don't own Slayers, more's the pity. And yes, I know this is getting silly and slightly like a very stupid X-over with another cartoon we all know and love. *grin* So, I'm just borrowing certain aspects and sticking them in here.  
  
Chapter 24  
Dwarf Power!  
  
By the time Luna got to the place where the Temple used to be, it was already in shambles. She saw a few Dragons pick themselves up off the ground and groan and dust themselves off.  
"What happened here?" she asked the nearest dragon. He looked up, gasped and fainted. Luna sighed. These guys had to toughen up. If they kept getting tongue tied and fainting in her presence, she'd never get any information and nothing would get done. How inefficient. She espied another dragon who looked just a tad bit more in control of herself. She walked over and cleared her throat.  
"Yeah?" asked the dragon rudely as she turned around. On seeing who she was, she immediately bowed to show her respect. "How can I help you, Knight of Ceipheed?"  
"I am looking for someone who looks like they know what they are doing and who knows what just happened here a few moments ago." said Luna.  
"Thank you for coming to aid our plight, O Knight of Ceipheed!" said the dragoness. "A Mazoku came and has stolen the Scroll of Rabula!"  
*****  
Lina muttered to herself. L-sama was wonderful and all that, but getting told what to do when she wanted to do something else always got her in a bad mood. Take, for instance, now. She had been on her way back to bash her fruitcake on the head and then decipher the rest of the prophecy with him. But no..... L-sama came and told her that she had to go and play secret spy for her and annoy some more Mazoku.... She walked and muttered to herself as she changed her course to the center of Wolf Pack Island. How in the world was she supposed to accomplish this????!  
'Find Madabar's reasons.' she thought to herself crossly. 'Phooey."  
*****  
Zelgadis smiled slightly to himself. He was on his way back to Seyruun. There, he'd see the rest of the group and tell them what had happened. He looked at the remainder of the troops behind him. Most of them had stayed at different major cities to set up a defense. It made more sense than to walk around the countryside in hopes of bumping against a fight.  
"Come on, slow pokes!" he shouted to them. "We're almost there and you guys can go and have a relaxing shower or something!" There was a ragged Hurrah! behind him. They were almost at Seyruun. They'd make it by nightfall; he was sure of it.  
*****  
Amelia sighed. She had finished eating lunch. And she was bored and tired and feeling very... irritated. It was a feeling that Amelia didn't usually feel. Across from her, Gourry was having a blast with his lunch, eating at a slightly slower pace since Lina wasn't here, but still eating a lot and quickly. They had done their speeches. They had said hi to the people and gave them a boost of morale. So, why in the world was she still here?  
"Mr. Gourry?" she asked.  
"Hm?" he asked as he stopped from his eating for a bit to look at her. "Yeah?"  
"What do you think? Should we go back to Seyruun? I mean, there's nothing going on here." said Amelia. Gourry thought a bit and then some more. In the end, he said a very intelligent thing.  
"Well, Amelia... if you want to go back, I don't see why not. Aren't you a princess? And I bet Zel will be back soon!" He continued to eat. Amelia thought a little. Then she began to smile. And the smile soon grew to a huge grin. Her eyes glittered. She had come to a conclusion!  
"You are right, Mr. Gourry! We will go home! And we will make haste to try to get there before sunset!" said Amelia with stars in her eyes and rosy cheeks. Gourry continued to eat. It didn't matter to him that Seyruun was a day's trip from where they were. They'd get there somehow.  
*****  
Filia and Sylphiel were back in Seyruun. And they had continued to hold their classes. It was calm. Filia was pleased to see how much they had improved since yesterday. Before she knew it, she'd be saying good bye to her students, bidding them good luck as they went out to help their fellow citizens. Beside her, Sylphiel smiled as she sat on her chair quietly, an intense look in her eye. Her fingers fidgeted with a small stick, and her foot was tapping. Her set of students made sure that they looked very studious. Seeing Sylphiel like that, could unnerve you quite a bit. All of a sudden, the stick snapped, and her students cringed. Filia looked over at where Sylphiel was.  
"Are you OK, Sylphiel?" asked Filia as she walked to her. "You've been acting a bit different since we came back."  
"Oh, I'm fine." said Sylphiel. Filia nodded and then walked away. She then stopped and looked at her. For a moment, there, she thought she saw a flash of gold in Sylphiel's eyes. But they were gone now. It was probably her imagination. Too much stress... that was the problem.  
*****  
Naga looked regal and queenly in her all black attire that showed off her cleavage just a bit, but was otherwise, quite modest, except for the really long slits up her legs her dress had. She smiled demurely at the other people as they talked about boring stuff, like the fight between the Dragons and the Mazoku. Boring. She singled her servant who held her royal teapot. No one wondered what the amber colored liquid was. Everyone thought it was tea. Naga and the servant knew better. They others laughed. She laughed also at the rather boring and silly joke some other dude had said. Behind her hand, she yawned. Unlimited liquor was nice, but now that she thought of it, sitting with these old and boring geezers was just not cool. No wonder Amelia wanted to get out. She couldn't blame her, the poor girl.  
*****  
Xellos looked over the names that Lina had dropped off for him. This was getting quite fun... Very fun. He smiled to himself. Only someone as chaotic as L-sama would have thought of something like this. He leaned his chair back as he contemplated what to do next. The most obvious thing was to find them, but how? Well, he could ask L-sama, but she probably wouldn't tell him and just smile. He looked over the names. Sleepy.... who could that be? It could be anyone! Was it pointing to a characteristic they already had? Or to a characteristic they would acquire once awake? He yawned. He then remembered something else. He dug into his cape and brought out the scroll of Rabula. He wanted to read it, but he should ask L-sama first. So he decided to do that. When he came back from his little trip to the Astral Plane, he smiled. Tonight...  
*****  
Tonight had come...  
Zelgadis saw the city. It'd take about half an hour if he used his newly acquired powers and speed fly to the castle. Of course, if he were still a chimera, he wouldn't have to rely on his new powers.... but he didn't mind! He was so glad....  
"Yo, listen up." he called to his motley crew of troops.  
"Yes sir?"  
"I'm going ahead. You guys have fun, and go to an inn. Send the bill to me, I'll cover it. I'll be at the castle if you ever need anything. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at the castle." he said. There was a cheer and a voice in the crowd.  
"I bet he's gonna meet with the princess." said the voice. There were some laughs and some wolf whistles.  
"Hey, it's not like that!" said Zelgadis, his cheeks turning red.  
"Don't worry, Captain!" said someone else. "We think she's cute also!" There were a few laughs. Zel sighed and waved.  
"Good bye. I'm leaving." he said. There were a few good byes called out and then Zelgadis was off flying to the castle.  
*****  
Xellos waited in the library. There was a nice and big mahogany grandfather clock on the opposite wall. Slowly, the pendulum swung to and fro and to and fro as it counted the seconds away. Slice, slice, slice....  
He had put on a pair of dark purple, almost black, wire rimmed glasses and was quite content, thinking of how studious and intelligent he must look while reading a book in the library beside a hovering Flare spell beside him. There were similar balls of light all around the room he was in. He had put them up himself. It wasn't fire, so it wouldn't burn anything, and it gave off a nice amount of light. He then looked at the clock. His eyes narrowed. They'd be here soon. Hopefully. Unless, of course, they decided to go to sleep and ignore him for many reasons, such as that it was almost midnight. And he had written notes in purple stationary with a dark violet seal and a silver colored pen with his finest calligraphy (the one that looked so messy and classy at the same time. The one that Lina liked a lot.) And he had signed his name, which meant Filia might not come. And a bunch of other small details like that. He heard some footsteps fast approaching. He smiled and pretended to be totally absorbed into his book.  
Filia burst into the room, causing a few flares to move a bit, before drifting back to their places.  
"OK. We're here. What do you want, nanagomi?" asked Filia. She had changed from her pjs to her priestess garb. Behind her, Sylphiel looked into the room with a worried and pensive look on her face.  
"Simple." said Xellos. "Do sit down." He pointed to a few chairs in the room that made a circle."  
"What's this about, Xellos san?" asked Sylphiel.  
"Something very important concerning your safety." said Xellos seriously. Filia dusted off the chair and sat down with a 'hmph'. Sylphiel sat down beside her.  
"Who else is coming?" asked Sylphiel, seeing that Filia wasn't going to talk to Xellos and Xellos would only answer if spoken to.  
"I'm so glad you asked!" said Xellos. "That..."  
"Don't say it!" said Filia. "Don't even dare say it!" She was glaring at him.  
"But Filia chan!" said Xellos. "I was just going to sat that that is..." Once more, Filia interrupted him.  
"Xellos. I am not in the mood for your little games now. I don't want to know about it." She was still frowning at him. It was all his fault. If he hadn't written that note, she'd be in bed and sleeping and dreaming about a nanagomi free world. But no... she was here. She wouldn't normally have come, but Sylphiel convinced her. Xellos sighed. And then he looked at Sylphiel.  
"Perhaps four." said Xellos. Sylphiel nodded. "That is hard to tell." There was silence.  
"Oh..." said Filia. "you mean, you weren't going to say that it was a secret?" She sounded a bit subdued and unsure.  
"That is...." started Xellos. Filia controlled her urge to hit him. And hit him hard. With her sharp and pointy mace. And see him crumple to the floor. "... a secret." finished Xellos with a goofy smile. Filia decided that she wasn't supposed to be nice to nanagomi anyway. A hard and blunt object flew through the air and hit him on the head.  
"Ouch, Filia! What did I do this time?" asked Xellos as he rubbed his head. Filia looked surprised. She stared from her mace that was still in her hand to the bruise on Xellos's cheek, to the wand with the huge crystal on the floor to an innocent looking Sylphiel. She sat down and put her mace away. Xellos looked at the instrument that had hit him, to Filia and then to Sylphiel. There was a confused look on his face and then, understanding dawned on him. He did a bit of fancy footwork that ended up flipping the wand into the air, where Xellos caught it and presented it with a flourish to a happy Sylphiel.  
"Oh, thank you, Xellos san!" said Sylphiel. "I am so sorry my wand slipped."  
"And incidentally hit him..." said Filia under her breath.  
They were silent, each in their own little world. Filia mentally went through some training courses to improve her speed and reflexes so that next time, she could get a hit in. Xellos grinned to himself as he thought on how he'd present his new discovery to the others. Sylphiel smiled. She felt a bit better. But she was still very tense. Her fingers nervously twirled her wand around and around. After a few moments, there was another set of fast footsteps. Xellos looked up.  
"Ah," he said. "The others are here. They have come."  
*****  
Five minutes later, everyone had settled down. Amelia had run in breathlessly with Gourry trailing her. Then Naga burst in, followed by Zelgadis.  
"Ah! So you have finally come and joined us." said Xellos happily. "Good, good. The group is now complete, except for Lina chan, but she's busy at the present moment."  
"So, why are we here?" asked Gourry.  
"Well, you tell me," said Xellos. Gourry scratched the back of his head and lightly bit his tongue while looking at the sky trying to think.  
"Um..." he said. He thought some more. "You wrote in a note that if I went to the library as soon as I read the note that you'd give me some food and a story!"  
"Very good!" said Xellos. He snapped his fingers and a plate of food appeared and floated to Gourry. "Now, eat something while I get everyone else settled down and then we'll see about the story."  
While Gourry munched happily on fried chicken, and spooned up some rice and potatoes and gravy, Xellos dealt with the rest of the group.  
"OK, now that we are all here, does anyone have any questions?" he asked.  
"How about why we're here?" asked Zelgadis. Xellos grinned as he absentmindedly noted that he was sitting beside Amelia.  
"Oh! Of course, how silly of me." said Xellos. "But let me start this right." He took out a packet of papers from his cloak and cleared his throat dramatically. With another flourish, he made all the lights in the room turn off, except one small lightning ball beside his face that threw eerie shadows on his semi-darkened face.  
"Welcome, all of you." said Xellos in a deeper, and much more serious voice. Amelia shivered and got slightly closer to Zelgadis. Gourry munched away. Naga watched with an interested look in her eye. Filia yawned. Sylphiel smiled. "What we are about to do has been started many, many years ago. And the time has come for the beginning of the end to occur."  
"So get it over with!" said a voice from the darkness of the room. A waitress still in her lilac waitress clothes walked forward and sat on the chair that Xellos had occupied. Her eyes were hidden behind thick purple bangs.  
"Knight of Ceipheed!" said Filia.  
"Xellos's sister is the Knight of Ceipheed?" asked Gourry as he surveyed the newcomer. Sylphiel stifled a giggle, nodded towards the Knight and then leaned in closer to Gourry to try to explain it to him.  
"Isn't this anti-climactic..." said Zelgadis. "Now, will you get this over with? I would like to get some sleep tonight, you know." Xellos pouted as the whole air of mystery was interrupted and dispelled by the sudden appearance of the Knight. He snapped his fingers and a few more lights appeared.  
"OK, since we are all here, I guess I can start speaking now." said Xellos with a bored tone.  
"Yes?" asked Luna. "I don't have all night, you know. Some of us have a job." Xellos pouted. This was not the way to reveal something as important and fun as this!  
"OK, this is about it. You all have a very important part to play in the Lord of Nightmare's plans to balance the world, whether you accept to do it or not." said Xellos. There was silence.  
"Is that the only thing you're planning on telling us?" asked Filia sarcastically.  
"No." said Xellos, unruffled. "It'd be quite nice if you were to pay attention and to make noise of interest in the appropriate places."  
*snore*  
Amelia stifled a giggle as she looked over at Gourry, who had finished his food and decided that the meeting was very boring. Sylphiel blushed and poked him to get him to wake up.  
"As it is, I am to give you this." said Xellos after Gourry had woken up and looked as if he were paying rapt attention. Which he wasn't, Xellos knew, but it looked like he was. "He took from his cape a black box with a silver catch. "Please stand up and receive your token when your name is called." From yet another place in his cape, he took out a huge scroll. It was so nice of L-sama to let him do this. He cleared his throat.  
"To Ms. Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun. For your valiant work in keeping the whole place brimming with happiness and peace, I present you the Token of the Optimistic." Xellos made a face. Amelia positively beamed on hearing that. L-sama had noted her hard work and all her optimism. Oh, she was so lucky! Xellos placed it in her hand and bade her to sit down so that he could carry on and later explain the importance of the tokens.  
"To Mr. Gourry Gabriev. To you I present the token of Dopeyness for all your hard work in being able to act clueless in the most serious of situations." said Xellos. He had to admit, L-sama could certainly make anything sound good... Gourry stood up and was extremely proud and happy to receive the token.  
"Yeah!" he said as he sat back down besides Sylphiel. He whispered to her. "This is so cool! I've never gotten one before." Sylphiel looked very interested for his sake and shared his joy.  
"To Ms. Filia Ul Copt. For keeping spirits up and alert and for providing a community service by letting herself be used as a source of food to Mazoku lest others suffer, I offer to you the Token of Grumpyness." Xellos hid a laugh. Community service? Yeah right. Filia marched up, swiped the token from his hand and sat down with a 'hmph'.  
"To Ms. Naga Gracia de Seyruun, to cure your vice and to instill in you a pleasanter attitude so that you will be able to fulfill the work of L-sama, I offer to you the Token of Sneeze." Naga blushed demurely and walked regally to accept her token. She took it and bowed before everybody.  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said. She would have said more, but Xellos lightly pushed her to her seat.  
"And to Mr. Zelgadis Greyweirs. For your wise choices and wry sarcasm, I offer you the quick way to forgetting your problems. I offer to you the Token of the Sleeper." Zelgadis grumbled, snatched the token and sat back down. He had been expecting this. Hadn't L-sama called him Sleeper after all? Still, why couldn't he have a better sounding name?  
"And to Ms. Sylphiel Nes Lahda. To allow you to control you growing tendencies, I offer to you the Token of the Bashful, passed down from the most active families in history and time to now aid you in your time of need." Sylphiel smiled demurely and took the token in her hand. Now, there was silence. Only one was left, and everyone was eager to know which one she would get.  
"To Ms. Luna Inverse, also known as the loyal servant of the Dragon God, the Knight of Ceipheed. For you serious demeanor and your cool calculations, I offer to you the Token of the Medic." Luna smiled graciously, and the token floated from his finger tips to her open hand.  
"Ok, now that everyone has their tokens, I can go over with you basic Tokenolgy." said Xellos. He took off his glasses and wiped them against a smooth cloth and then put them back on. He put away the scroll and took another one. He read a bit and then smiled. "This is very simple. To activate the hidden and locked power of the token, you must utter its activation phrase. That allows you to slightly tap into L-sama's power in a safer and more controlled way. The activation phrase for each one of you is different, and only the owner of the token can activate it. Which means you can't have someone else call it out for you, OK?" There were nods and a raised eyebrow from both Filia and Luna. Zelgadis frowned slightly. This didn't sound too good.  
"Now, listen carefully while I call out your activation phrases. It is very simple and follows a straightforward pattern of words." At Xellos's words, Zelgadis started to fear the worst.  
"You call out either Happy/ Dopey/ Grumpy/ Sneezy/ Sleepy/ Bashful/ Doc Dwarf Power Activate!" said Xellos with a grin. With a flourish he rolled the scroll and put it away. There was a stunned silence.  
"You're kidding." said Filia.  
"Instructions from L-sama herself!" said Xellos.  
"I'm not going about shouting nonsense." said Zelgadis.  
"Which one am I supposed to say again?" asked Gourry. He fingered his token. He'd finally have magic!! Yeah! And then he could use his sword and magic! Cool!"  
"Yours is Dopey Dwarf Power Activate." said Sylphiel.  
"Oh, thank you!" said Gourry. Then he held his token before him and said gleefully, "Dopey Dwarf Power Activate!" There was a storm of colors around him, mostly blues and silvers and golds in the form of a hurricane. When the fireworks left, there was Gourry, looking the same as before, except his sword was flashing blue and gold. "Oh cool!" shouted Gourry. He took out his sword but Xellos stopped him from throwing his first bit of magic into the shelf full of magical tomes.  
"Well, it seems to work." said Sylphiel. She took hers and held it to her heart while she closed her eyes. "Bashful Dwarf Power Activate!" Brilliant white and cream light sprouted from the token and surrounded her and then vanished in small trails of stars. Once more, she looked the same, but her weapon had changed and the globe shaped crystal had colors swirling around it. "Wow! I bet my Dragon Slave will be even stronger now!" Then she realized what she said and blushed demurely. Amelia had seen enough. If it worked for them, then it would work for her. Besides, she liked hers!  
"Happy Dwarf Power Activate!" she shouted while she posed, her first and middle finger holding the token in between. Another light explosion followed, filling the room with pale pinks and yellows and the light soon vanished in a flurry of flower petals. Her amulets swirled with color. "Wow!" she exclaimed. She admired her new amulets.  
Naga too, wanted part of the action. She flipped her coin and threw it into the air, while shouting, "Sneezy Dwarf Power Activate!" Light once more erupted and when the token fell, it landed on a black and silver glove. Naga smiled and danced with glee. "Cool! It even comes with a makeover!" she said as she realized that her lips felt better and her face had been powdered.  
"Go on, Filia, Zelgadis. Give it a try!" urged Xellos. "Better get used to it now instead of in battle." Zel and Filia did theirs at the same time. Zelgadis decided to do it normally. He said monotonously, "Sleepy Dwarf Power Activate." and for an extra flourish, he flipped his token also. The others in the room were struck by how his name seemed to fit him perfectly. He had sounded so sleepy and tired when he had transformed. Lights, colors, explosions and a Zelgadis with a different colored pin appeared.  
Filia, on the other hand, tossed the coin away and said, "Grumpy Dwarf Power Activate." Another exciting flash of activity and Filia stood there, looking the same as she had before.  
"Um, nothing changed." said Amelia.  
"Not even her ear covers!" said Gourry. Filia began to feel a bit self-conscious as she tried to figure out which part of her had changed.  
"Maybe..." said Xellos. "Filia, how about your mace?"  
"Oh, maybe," said Filia. She was about to get it when she realized that everyone was looking at her. "Um, perhaps, you guys could turn around and give a girl some privacy!" Everyone dutifully did and gave her some privacy.  
"But you didn't need it before!" said Xellos as he heard the swish of skirts.  
"That's because you weren't all looking at me." said Filia. "You can look now."  
"Wow, Ms. Filia!" exclaimed Amelia with wonder. "Cool!" Sure enough, the mace had been transformed from a black weapon of doom to a golden weapon of doom with very sharp spikes and hooks.  
There was one more person left. Everyone turned to look at Luna expectantly.  
"I'm not doing this." said Luna with a serious voice. With that, she vanished.  
"Well, that is that, folks." said Xellos. "The party's over. You can just cry out Deactivate when you want to be normal again. See you in the morning." And he too vanished. One by one, the people left and thought over everything that had happened so far.  
*****  
And far away, in the privacy of her own home, away from preying eyes, a voice was heard whispering.  
"Doc Dwarf Power Activate." After a while.... "This is too silly for words. Reminds me of Lina's little magical girl stories."  
  
End of Chapter 24  
  
Once more, I know I'm extremely late in posting this up. Forgive me! Gomen! Disculpen! And all that! I know it's been a terribly long time. I'm trying my hardest to get these out as fast as I can, but well.... It's just a tad bit hard to get everything done when you have three AP Classes to worry about and a piano recital coming up. Ugh!!!! But Oh well... take care people! Thank you for still reading even though I know I haven't been the most punctual of people. So, thanks for all you encouragement. As usual, comments and criticism are extremely welcome as are reviews! So, knock yourself out writing to me. Well, no, not really...jeje... take care, all of you! Thank you so much for reading!  
Hotaru  
  
Quotes  
  
"You can't know the happy without knowing the south." -Old Chinese Proverb  
  
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson  
  
"Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead." -Anonymous 


	25. Secret Spy!

Slayers: To The End  
by: Hotaru  
  
Disclaimer:  
I know you guys know the disclaimer by heart, but you know... life and people who might think I'm doing this for profit. You know... so, here goes. Slayers aint mine. Simple as that.  
  
Chapter 25  
Secret Spy! and other novels...  
  
Zelas cursed as she felt the activation of L-sama's magic as the Dwarves were found. Shoot!She was so close. Of course, it had to be Xellos who found them. After all, Xellos was smart, she had created him to be like that. She should have made him an idiot. That way, he would have never left her service, and L-sama would never have been interested in him. She crushed the wine goblet in her hand. She was presently in Jinnia, back in her home. It was time to mobilize the troops. If the dwarfs were awake once more, then the real prophecy was occuring. She grumbled to herself. So many years of hard work, all ruined because her dear pet had switched masters. But not everything was lost. There was still a chance to kill both of the Knights of L-sama. She still had her hoarde of Mazoku at beck and call.  
"Xerxes! Get here right now! We have business to do!"  
*****  
Lina looked nervously about her. How in the world was she supposed to do this? She had been the Knight for such a small time... She looked once more at her copy of the papers. It had Madabar's picture and her status as present leader of the Tarzokus. And it had her jobs, and that was it! There wasn't even a description of her powers or anything like it!  
"This is majorly... stupid." she said finally. She looked about the woods. They were half burnt, but evidence of growth was already starting to appear. There were some small twigs growing, and some green sprouting from the ground. She wondered what had happened here. She'd have to ask Xellos about it. He should know.  
Thinking about Xellos made her stop as she couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He was so sweet, and he was so kind. And he was such a fruitcake. Albeit, her fruitcake. She took off her glove and looked at the engagement ring on her left hand. It glinted back at her, just like Xellos's eyes would glint at her mischiviously. She shook her head. She had to concentrate on the problem at hand. After puttin on her golve again, she began her trek through the ruins of Wolf Pack Island. Of course, if she showed her power now, she was sure she'd see some of those so called Tarzokus, and then they'd fight her and that wouldn't be fun.  
With a start she realized that she was thinking in a very Xellos-ish way. She was sneaking around and thinking slyly. She was thinking about having fun and accomplishing the mission at the same time.  
"I can't believe his mannerisms are rubbing on me." she grumbled to herself. But it was so fun! She looked around, and seeing no one, she closed her eyes and smiled, using her magic sight so as to not bump into trees or trip over rocks. Then she opened her eyes, giggled and got serious.  
'OK, act serious, Lina Inverse!' she told herself. Then, out of curiosity she tried to connect to Xellos. She wanted to know how far her telepathic link with Xellos was.  
[Good evening, this is Xellos Metallium, fiancee of the most talented sorceress in the world, speaking.] said a voice into her mind. [With who do I have the pleasure of speaking to at the present moment?] Oh yeah, even though the sun was beginning to rise here, it was still evening over at Seyruun.  
[Xellos?] asked Lina, as she turned slightly red. [Is that you?]  
[Oh, good evening Lina chan! How are things doing at Wolf Pack Island?] he asked.  
[Nothing interesting yet.] said Lina. [I just wanted to know if I could still contact you.]  
[Well, I guess you can, Lina chan!] said Xellos perkily.  
[So how are things over at Seyruun?] asked Lina.  
[Very amusing!] said Xellos. [Oh, you just missed the funniest transformation ever!]  
[Huh?] asked Lina. Then she spotted something. [Hey, Xellos. I got to go... take care. I'll talk to ya later.]  
[Ok, love.] said Xellos. Lina smiled to herself as she felt his love travel through their link. She knew her blush had probably travelled to where he was.  
[Take care.] she said. [Oh, and stop making me blush!] His laughter reached her before they cut the communication. She looked nervously at the cave before her. She was there.  
*****  
Xellos had gone to sleep after talking with Lina. Too bad it was cut short, but oh well. He had been slightly on the tired side. Watching people transform and holding back your laughter at the same time was so tiring. It really taxed on ones energy. Hoping that Lina chan was OK, he took a small nap, a smile gracing his sharp features. His Lina chan... she was so sweet, and he could still feel her embarrasment and her reciprocated love. Sure, things were moving a bit fast at the beginning, but they had to take it slow for now. There were so many things to do, and he had wanted to claim her as soon as he could. She was so beautiful, so thriving with life. Perhaps, he would be able to have some fun with Lina after this was over. Something like properly courting her, and teasing her. It would be fun. He was sure she would enjoy it. After all, he would. With that train of thought, he fell asleep.  
*****  
While Xellos was nice and warm inside the covers of a nice and soft bed in the palace of Seyruun, Lina was pressed against the wall, hiding her aura from the surroundings. A squad of Mazoku came by and then left, turning left at the corner.  
'Looks like Madabar has this place well guarded,' thought Lina to herself. Now, all she had to do was figure out where Madabar was and then... that's where she was stuck. What was she supposed to do then? L-sama had said to confront Madabar and find out her reasons. Well, how was she supposed to do that? What was the point of such a mission. Why her? Xellos was better at improvising orders. She needed a goal. Like, capture Madabar. Or, blow up Wolf Pack Island into little bitty pieces. Or, something like that. But no,... all she was to do was to confront Madabar and have a little chat. Confront her with what???? She should have asked Xellos what to do. He would probably have been able to tell her something helpful. Then she remembered that he was a fruitcake. Well, he might have helped her. Oh well, too late. With another glance about her surroundings, Lina sneaked about the passageway, trying to figure out where Madabar might be.  
After several minutes of fruitless search, she decided to take a risk. She concentrated on the auras around the place, trying to feel around for a strong one. When located, Lina sighed.  
'Why do all badguys have to have their headquarters in the center of the cave, where the most protection is found?' she asked herself as she silently grumbled. She was tired, she was grumpy, and she didn't want to do this. So, throwing caution to the winds, she concentrated and vanished, only to appear in the room where Madabar was.  
Seeing that her presence hadn't been noted, Lina hurriedly hid in the shadows, having learned from Xellos that shadows were a good place to hide in.  
Lina watched carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly. Whatever Madabar was doing, it was taking a lot of her attention. She was sitting at her desk, and held a book in her lap, with a cover made of leather with gold embossing. There was also a far away look in Madabar's eyes. Lina suddenly got an idea. If she could spy on Madabar, and see what she did and all that, she would soon figure out the whole plan! Yeah! After all, reading those magical girl novels and detective stories in her childhood had paid off! And Luna-oneechan always said it was a waste of time. Hmph! What did she know?  
*****  
After a few hours of playing secret spy, Lina thought that spies were stupid people with no life. Madabar had done absolutely nothing in these hours, except for staring at her book and turning the pages every once in a while. How boring. She was keeping a mental tab of all the times her tail flicked over to the right, and how many times she sighed and how many times she turned the pages and how often she turned the pages. One time, Madabar had moved. But she had gone to her dresser and had grabbed another book while putting away the one she had just read and was presently looking through it. Lina could already imagine her report to the Lord of Nightmares.  
'Sorry L-sama, all I know is that Madabar thinks she has all the time in the world because she does absolutely nothing at all during her free time except make ga-ga faces at her book.' Somehow, that didn't fit very well. Then a brilliant idea hit her. Of course! She would look at the book and see what Madabar was making faces at! At last, she would do something interesting. Now, all she had to do was wait for Madabar to leave the room or something.  
But the opportunity did not come. Madabar didn't leave the room... Lina sighed metally. If she wanted to get a look at the book, she'd have to make a disturbance herself to get Madabar out of the room... Just like Xellos! Well... it was time to do something. She concentrated and difused her aura around the whole cave, so that no one would be able to figure out that she was in a certain spot. After that, she appeared in various places, and for lack of anything better to do, she threw small fireball spells at the guards here and there. When she was certain that Madabar had left her room, Lina teleported in and hurriedly took the book that had been put away. Then, she hurriedly teleported out of the cave to a safer place.  
*****  
Lina looked around her. She was on a tree, and was sitting on one of the thicker branches. Making sure that there was no one around and that she had dampened her aura here, she opened the book. Then she lit up a small light spell to allow her to see. Her eyes widened as she looked through page after page. She found herself smiling softly as the pages rustled in the night air. So, was this the reason that L-sama had told her to find?  
The album was full of pencil sketches. It seemed as if Madabar was really quite artistic. She had done many drawings. Drawings from many years ago. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as her eyes saw the smooth curves and sharp angles of her drawings. Madabar was very good. She had been able to capture his essence completely. She smiled even more as a plan began to flitter about the edges of her brain. Come dawn, she would fulfil her duty and confront Madabar.  
*****  
So, dawn had come. Lina had spent one hour on the tree, sleeping lightly. When she woke up, she realized why people didn't sleep in trees more often. She stood up and stretched thoroughly, working out the chinks and knots in her muscles from sleeping against tree bark. After she felt comfortable, she reached within her cloak and took out a bag. She promptly took out her mirror and a brush and promptly set to fixing her hair. After that was over, she flashed a smile at her reflection and then vanished. She appeared in Madabar's room.  
"Rise and Shine, Ms. Madabar." she said, her eyes flashing warmth and friendship.  
Madabar looked up from her desk and her teal eyes narrowed.  
"Fancy meeting you here, Ms. Inverse." she said.  
"Well, I was around and decided to drop by." she said with a smile. She was adopting Xellos's "happy go lucky", and "all's right in the world" attitude. No wonder Xellos did this so often. It was so fun to be deceptive! "Would you like to join me for breakfast?"  
"And why would I want to?" asked Madabar. Inwardly, she was slightly scared. After all, she knew about Lina's new power. That's why she had never outright attacked her. She had done... other things.  
"Well, I have come to negotiate a truce. So call off your people." she said with a smile. Her flaming red eyes bored into Madabar's teal ones.  
"I take it you have a certain place in mind?" asked Madabar.  
"Here, would be nice." said Lina. "I just wanted to talk with you."  
"I take it you're not here to kill me, then." said Madabar.  
"Now, that's a secret." said Lina with a smile. And Madabar found herself tied up and pushed down into a chair that appeared. Lina grinned. "Don't worry. I just want to make sure you're not going anywhere." A table appeared, as did another chair on which she sat down. "Let's talk business." Her eyes staid on Madabar's face as she slowly brought out the book.  
'Bingo!' thought Lina as Madabar's eyes widened.  
*****  
Amelia smiled as she woke up early in the morning. She had the most wonderful dream. She had imagined that she was a warrior princess who had been granted the power to help preserve justice in the world. Then, she looked over at her nightstand and saw the token. With a squeal of delight, she bounded from her bed and ran to her full length mirror. She held her token up and while posing in front of the mirror and decided to give it a go.  
"For, all the evil that you have been up to, I, Princess Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun, will punish you for your wrong doings! Let this be a lesson to young and old alike! Turn your paths from the one of wickedness to the one of light and hope! Happy Dwarf Power Activate!" shouted Amelia. She imagined herself as she transformed like one of those girls in the novels she had read when she was younger. They all had really cool costumes. She imagined those skirst and clothes. Now that she thought of it, they reminded her of the clothes she and Ms. Lina had to wear when they sang that love song or whatever it was. She had like it a lot. When she opened her eyes after the transformation, she gasped. She had actually transformed. She was wearing a blue skirt and a white blouse and her amulets were on her wrist again. Her hair was immaculate and she was wearing blue boots that reached to her knees. On her ears, she was wearing dazzling diamond shaped earrings.  
"Oh, this is so cool!" she gushed. She posed at her mirror, and then decided that she had to let Mr. Zelgadis see this. She quickly de transformed and ran out of the room, after brushing her hair and fixing herself slightly.  
*****  
"So, what do you want." asked Madabar as she glared at Lina. How had that Knight gotten her art book?  
"Like I said, I want to talk. Besides, I'm hungry." said Lina with a smile. "Can you like,.. call someone up to make you breakfast?"  
"I'm a Mazoku, if you forgot that." said Madabar.  
"True... but since you're in your Tarzoku form, I thought perhaps you liked to eat real food at times?" asked Lina, her eyes narrowing slyly.  
"I don't eat human food." said Madabar.  
"Ok." said Lina. "I just assumed you might like something... I mean... even Xellos likes soft served icecream."  
"Cut the chase, Knight of Chaos." said Madabar, her eyes flashing. "What do you want."  
"I just want to know the real reason you are trying to fight and kill me." said Lina with a smile.  
"I thought that would be obvious." said Madabar.  
"I have a few suspicions." said Lina. "You truly are a wonderful artist."  
"Thank you." said Madabar darkly. "What must I do to get my book back?"  
"Other than killing me?" asked Lina. "Well... you could call of your people. The humans don't appreciate you trying to kill them and destroying their homes."  
"That's it?" asked Madabar, sarcastically. "You are calling a pretty high price, Ms. Inverse."  
"I know... Zelas will get angry and she's your boss." said Lina as if she had memorized that. Which she had. "I understand you. Xellos told me that the whole time. And now that I work for L-sama, I must admit that I understand. How about this... you don't actively try to kill humans and dragons. Send your people for the Dwarfes in the most unlikely of places. Don't actively interfere unless Zelas gives you explicit orders to do so." Madabar thought about it for a while  
"Could you let me go?" she asked, finally. Lina blushed and snapped her fingers. Immedieately, the bonds that had held Madabar to her chair broke."Thanks."  
"Think about it, Ms. Madabar." said Lina. "It would benefit both of the parties, yours and mine. And you're secret is safe. And Xellos won't know a thing. I won't tell him. You have my word. But I ask only that you do not interfere directly. Oh, and a few of your drawings would be nice. You certainly are very talented."  
"And what's to stop me from destroying the evidence right now?" asked Madabar. Lina smiled.  
"I, myself, am an artist." said Lina. "I know how it is to make sketches and to make paintings. I also know how hard it is to get rid of something you have worked a lot on.... are you truly willing to set your pictures in flames?" Madabar cursed silently.  
"And how are you know that I won't double cross you." said Madabar.  
"That is what the extra pictures are for." said Lina. "Surely, you don't think this is the original?" She formed a fireball in her hands and threw it at the book. The color drained from Madabar's face as she watched her work get turned into ashes.  
"What did you do that for..." she started to say, her voice feeling hoarse.  
"Here's another one. Don't worry." said Lina. She took another copy of the book from her jacket and gave it to her.  
"I take it your answer is yes." said Lina, as Madabar held her book. "Look, I didn't enjoy this talk. I don't mean to be hard. But I have orders, and so do you. Had our places been switched, you'd probably have done something similar."  
"You'd be dead." said Madabar simply. "But point taken." She put the book away. "I take it you have the original."  
"No, the one you have is the original one." said Lina with a smile. As she got ready to leave, she turned back and spoke one. "You know... I understand you. I used to think it was impossible also. But, L-sama interefered. Who knows... something may come up."  
"Not with Xellos, though." said Madabar wryly.  
"You better hope not." said Lina. "He's mine."  
"I understand." said Madabar. Lina left with a smile on her face. She had accomplished her mission. Now she could go home and then... do something. Hang out with Xellos. She missed him a small bit.  
  
End Chapter 25.  
OK, so this chapter was a bit... I don't know... weird. I must confess it's not the most interesting of chapters that I have written. I'm sorry. But it's a necessary part. I added a few extra parts here to liven it up and all. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it. And if you didn't... I'm sorry. Action is on it's way, don't worry.  
Also, I'm very sorry for the loooooooooooooooooooong delay. I had this on my computer at work for a long time and I forgot about it, and then I concentrated on my other fic, and then school ended, and then our TV broke down so my brother uses our computer to watch TV, which meanst I connect even less than I usually do which means...*catches her breath* that it takes time to upload. *grin* But I'm back. There are some parts here and there I'm working on that I just don't like too well. There will be revisions. To all of you who dared critisize and flame, thank you. Thanks for all your help in forcing me to see errors here and there. You've been most helpful.  
Thanks to all you for reviewing! I'm so glad to see your small notes of encouragement. I'd probably have given up on this story some time ago had you guys not written to me. Thank you so much! As it is, instead of giving up, it just takes time....*grin*  
  
Take care!  
  
Hotaru  
  
Quote:  
"Against one perfect moment, the centuries beat in vain." -Terry Pratchett 


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